Canucks: Brock Boeser has always played for the crest

Article content

Brock Boeser loves being a Vancouver Canuck. It’s the only NHL team he knows.

Article content

Article content

Article content

He was drafted 10 years ago. His first game — and first goal — came almost eight years ago.

It’s been a ride, that’s for sure. And Boeser doesn’t want to leave.

But two days before the NHL trade deadline, it has become clear there is no contract extension to be had between Boeser, his 197 career goals, and the NHL club. Boeser is set to be a free agent this summer.

Boeser has loved it from the start. On Wednesday, he recalled his first meal, fittingly guided by hometown boy Troy Stecher, way back in March 2017, just after he signed his contract with the Canucks following two seasons with the University of North Dakota.

“I just loved (Vancouver) from the start, since the first day when Stech brought me to get sushi here,” he said. And from then on he was hooked by the place. By the food. By the outdoors. By how great it is to walk his dogs.

Article content

Article content

And by the fans.

“Everyone’s always had my back and supported me. It’s something that I really appreciate about this place,” he explained. “I’m still here, so I’m not going to talk like I’m leaving.”

But there is no denying the moment is hard.

“It’s definitely been the toughest time I’ve dealt with,” he admitted. “Anytime you have uncertainty, it’s scary. The unknown is scary, so obviously a little bit of stress involved in that. It’s not a great situation.”

Wednesday’s game against Anaheim could very well be his swansong as a Canuck. It’s not the first time his name has been bandied about as a trade possibility, but clearly it never gets easier. Boeser is trying not to think about the meaning of everything.

“It might be a little difficult, but I’m going to do the best I can to really dial it in and be prepared,” he said.

Article content

And that is what he’s leaning on. His team has the playoffs to play for. You know he wants to get his team back to where they are supposed to be.

Rick Tocchet said Boeser was one of the first players he got to know after the coach arrived in Vancouver in late January 2023. That was less than a year after Boeser’s father Duke had died. It was a tough time for Boeser. Losing his father, even though he had been in decline for some time before that, left a much bigger impact on Boeser than he realized.

He has been a low-maintenance player in Tocchet’s eyes, but also a player who regular seeks out his coach’s counsel.

“I’ve got a lot of affection for Brock,” Tocchet said.

“He’s one guy who has played really well for me. … He’s a guy who has come up with big goals.” He had seven goals in the Canucks’ fun playoff run last season, for example.

Article content

And he has become a leader in the room. It’s not an accident that he was named an assistant captain after J.T. Miller was traded Jan. 31.

“Who would have thought two years ago we’d put a letter on him? Because that’s the type of guy he needs to be,” Tocchet said. “He’s been a fabric in the community, (with) charities. Everywhere he goes, fans love him. He’s … a lovable guy.”

Like the rest of his team, Boeser’s play on the recent five-game road trip wasn’t good. He had two goals in four games after the Miller trade. He kept shooting in that stretch. But then he had just five shots in five games after play resumed following the 4-Nations Face-Off break.

Losing Miller, Tocchet believes, is part of the story. But he also wants Boeser to dial in on what he is best at — getting shooting opportunities in the slot and tipping pucks at the front of the net.

Hard work, in the end, is what Boeser wants to be known for, no matter what happens.

“I hold a high standard for myself to be one of the guys that we can count on,” Boeser said. “It hasn’t come by as easy this year, but regardless of that, you have to put the hard hat on and work hard.”

pjohnston@postmedia.com

Article content