Foote plans to make longtime Vancouver Canucks forward a first-time penalty killer

The Vancouver Canucks lost one of their best penalty killers during the offseason.

Not only did Pius Suter leave a gaping hole in the middle when he signed with the St. Louis Blues in free agency, but it also meant that the Vancouver Canucks lost their top penalty-killing forward.

During the first day of training camp in Penticton on Thursday, the first player that head coach Adam Foote mentioned as a potential replacement was a longtime Canucks skater who has never killed penalties in the NHL.

“I think [Brock] Boeser can kill [penalties],” Foote said.

Well, that’s a surprise.

Boeser played 75 NHL games last season, and he racked up only 28 seconds of ice time while shorthanded.

In his entire NHL career, Boeser has spent a grand total of 16 minutes on the ice in shorthanded situations. Even Dakota Joshua, a sparsely used penalty killer who played just 57 games last season, racked up 29 minutes shorthanded.

So, why exactly does Foote think Boeser can kill penalties?

“I think he’s so smart that he can kill,” Foote said. “Our kill was very detailed. Up ice, we knew when to strike, we knew when to back off and in zone, and [Boeser] gets it.”

You can envision the rationale from Foote. Penalty killers don’t have to be the speediest guys on the ice (much like Suter last year), but they do have to be intelligent hockey players who can quickly read plays and react.

For years, Boeser’s defensive game has flown under the radar. However, first-line scoring wingers aren’t often penalty killers, largely because coaches want them on the ice in offensive situations. That’s something Foote does recognize.

“We’ll see how his minutes go, right? We’ve got to manage his minutes when he’s going to be on the number one power play.”

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Boeser ranked third among all Canucks forwards in ice time last season, averaging 18:10 per game.

In the case that the Burnsville, Minnesota native doesn’t kill penalties, Foote did suggest a couple of other options.

“There’s gonna be couple young guys that hopefully crack [the penalty kill], right? We have [Drew] O’Connor as well.”

Among Canucks still with the team, the most common penalty-killing forwards used last season were Teddy Blueger, Kiefer Sherwood, O’Connor, and Conor Garland.

“I thought [Garland] was a great killer,” Foote said. “He was going over the boards in the World Championship. [New Canucks assistant coach Kevin Dean] was running that PK and he had Garly over the boards first.”

“Last year, I asked Tocchet if we could use Garland [on the penalty kill]. He let us use him, and I thought he did a hell of a job.”

Foote mentioned that the earliest the Canucks will practice special teams would be on the last day of training camp, which takes place on Sunday, Sept. 21.

“We’ll get the right spots. But again, your kill takes time, so it’ll be disciplined at the start of the season. We’ll get some rhythm.”