Boeser explains how one phone call changed everything with Vancouver Canucks
Brock Boeser was gone.
Vancouver Canucks management, which had disrespected him publicly, had not shown interest in him.
He entered July 1 as one of the most coveted free agents on the market. Multiple teams were ready to meet his price, with top teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets rumoured to have interest.
On the morning of July 1, Boeser was speaking to his agent Ben Hankinson, going over options for where the 28-year-old could continue his NHL career.
That’s when Hankinson’s phone rang and everything changed.
“He said Patrik [Allvin] was calling him. That kind of raised my eyebrow,” Boeser told reporters on Wednesday. “I was like ‘Okay, maybe we can figure something out here.’
“They kind of went back and forth a little bit, and we found some common ground. I had other guys in my ear, like [Conor Garland] and [Thatcher Demko], all those guys kind of pushing my buttons to come back. It obviously plays a big part to have such good friends and have belief within the guys in the room.”
Boeser had been offered a contract by the Canucks earlier in the season, reportedly worth $40 million on a five-year deal. But Boeser wanted more term and more security.
The deal settled on pays Boeser $50.75 million on a seven-year deal, which includes trade protection. He has a full no-movement clause for the first four years, before the clause becomes a 15-team no-trade list.
“It felt like the door shut a couple times there. So I really had to wrap my head around moving on [to another team]… My head was spinning a lot. It was hard to kind of grasp. That phone call kind of came out of nowhere. It was definitely a shock to me… I told my agent, I was like ‘get a deal done.'”
Boeser never wanted to leave Vancouver, the only NHL he has known since being drafted by the Canucks a decade ago. But he was prepared to do it.
Though trying to envision himself with another team never felt right.
“I just felt like in my stomach, I still had a weird feeling about everything. When they called back, I kind of lit up. Even after everything that’s happened, I still kind of had that feeling in my stomach. I just listened to it, and it felt right when we started talking and trying to figure out a deal.
“I started getting excited, and I just knew it was meant to be.”
The longest-tenured current active player on the team, Boeser will be among the franchise leaders in a number of statistical categories if he finishes his seven-year contract in Vancouver.
He ranks eighth all-time in goals by a Canucks player (204), and 12th in points (434).
How high will Boeser climb on the all-time goals list?
Boeser is a beloved player in Vancouver — both with his teammates and with fans.
And the feeling is mutual.
“They’ve been so supportive of me, not just with hockey but away from the rink. And that means the world to me. Everyone’s so kind to me… that means a lot to me,” Boeser said of the support he gets from Canucks fans.
“Vancouver feels like my second home. It’s just so comfortable. I love it there. Maybe I can get a house there now.”