VANCOUVER — After a difficult year, Brock Boeser has committed to sticking with the Vancouver Canucks.
The club announced Friday it has signed a three-year contract worth US$6.65 million per season with the 25-year-old right-winger.
The agreement means Boeser, a restricted free agent, and the Canucks will avoid arbitration.
“We wanted to keep Brock. Brock is a big part of this franchise moving forward,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin told reporters on a video call Friday.
Boeser, who hails from Burnsville, Minn., put up 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) in 71 games last season.
At the end of the campaign, he told reporters he had been struggling with the declining health of his father, Duke, who died at the end of May following a long battle with cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
“He obviously went through a really tough time last year and we believe that he is capable of being a better player going forward,” Allvin said.
The six-foot-one, 208-pound Boeser has played 324 regular-season games for Vancouver, tallying 256 points (121 goals, 135 assists) and 88 penalty minutes.
The Canucks picked him 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL entry draft. He was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s top rookie, in 2018.
Boeser signed a three-year deal with an average annual value of $5.875 million per year in 2019, and was given a qualifying offer of $7.5 million heading into negotiations for his latest deal.
The Canucks, who finished last season five points shy of the playoffs with a 40-30-12 record, have asked players to help the club create cap space as they push to be competitive going forward, Allvin said.
Boeser’s deal says a lot about the forward, the GM added.
“This shows Brock wants to be a big part of the Vancouver Canucks going forward,” Allvin said.
July 1, 2022