There was a certain finality to Brock Boeser’s end-of-season media availability.
While it’s certainly possible that Boeser will re-sign with the Vancouver Canucks, the pending unrestricted free agent himself admitted that it probably wasn’t in the cards about a week ago.
“Honestly, it's unlikely at this point,” said Boeser to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. “It sucks, it's unfortunate. I'm just trying to play good hockey, and then I'll worry about everything after that. We all know it's been a roller coaster of a year. There's been a lot of different things.”
"It just started to feel like home more and more"
Is this is the end for Boeser in Vancouver, it’s an ignominous end to a tenure with the Canucks that started on such a promising note. In his rookie season, Boeser led the Canucks in scoring, won the accuracy competition and was named MVP at All-Star Weekend, was named to the All-Rookie Team, and likely would have won the Calder Trophy if not for a fluke back injury.
Boeser’s time with the Canucks peaked last season with his first 40-goal campaign, capped off by a strong playoff performance that once again ended with a fluke injury: a blood clot that prevented him from continuing on in the postseason.
While management struggled to build a playoff team around him and the rest of the young core, Boeser still scored some incredible clutch goals for the Canucks, none bigger than his two late goals in a comeback against the Nashville Predators in last year’s playoffs.
More than his performance on the ice, Boeser became an indelible part of the Canucks community. That means even if he does sign somewhere else, a part of him will always remain in Vancouver.
“It just started to feel like home more and more as I grew old here,” said Boeser on Friday. “Now it feels like home to me. You know, I have a girlfriend from here, so if this is it, I’m sure I’ll be back a lot. It will always be home to me.”
When asked what he was most proud of in his time with the Canucks, Boeser didn’t mention anything on the ice. Instead, he said he was most proud of the relationships he made.
"We kind of let the noise creep into our room a bit"
In the final game of the season, the crowd was littered with signs proclaiming their affection for Boeser, and fans roared when his name was announced in the starting lineup. Throughout the game, spontaneous Boeser chants burst out around Rogers Arena, as fans knew this might be their only chance to bid farewell.
It was a tumultuous season for the Canucks as a whole and painful for Boeser personally, as a concussion derailed what had been a strong start individually, then he saw the team fall apart around him, with the centre who set up so many of his goals in recent years traded away.
The season left him with some serious regrets.
“It’s tough. It was a roller coaster of a year. We were banged up with injuries,” said Boeser. “There’s a lot of noise around our team this year, and I think within all that noise, I kind of just wish that we went in our room and squashed that noise a little earlier, maybe, before some games and just refocused. I feel like we kind of let the noise creep into our room a bit. We started playing not-good hockey.”
Now, Boeser will likely head to free agency, where he will be one of the top forwards available on the market. With the salary cap going up, Boeser shouldn’t have a tough time finding a team willing to pay his asking price if the Canucks won’t.
"All I want to do is win"
As of January, AFP Analytics projected a seven-year contract for Boeser with a cap hit of approximately $9.05 million. Among UFA forwards, only Mitch Marner is projected to have a higher cap hit.
The Canucks reportedly made a contract offer to Boeser ahead of the trade deadline for five years at an $8 million cap hit. According to reports, the sticking point for Boeser is not the cap hit but the term. Given that Vancouver is home for Boeser now, he’s hoping for a longer commitment from the Canucks — that commitment is evidently not forthcoming.
But money will be far from his only motivating factor for signing. With just two playoff appearances in eight seasons, Boeser wants to be where he can win.
“It weighs on me a lot,” said Boeser about the lack of team success in his career. “All I want to do is win. Last year was so fun when we were winning. The playoffs and that whole experience, it was a blast; it was the most fun I’ve had in my career. So, I definitely think that’s going to play a big part — if I do make it [to free agency] — in my decision.”
