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Brock Boeser

Who Is On Pace To Score 60 Points In 2017-18?

December 31, 2017 at 9:24 am CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments

In 2016-17, only 42 NHLers hit the 60-point benchmark for the season. It was the lowest total since the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season (obviously), when only Martin St. Louis notched sixty, and down eleven from the 53 players who hit the mark two years earlier in 2014-15. However, with scoring up this season in the NHL, will the league increase it’s number of top scorers? Or will a greater depth and distribution of talent continue to limit players from reaching the high numbers of yesteryear?

As of now, with the 2017 segment of the season about to close, here are the players on pace for 60 points in 2017-18:

  1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 54 points in 37 games, Projection: 120 points
  2. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 48 points in 37 games, Projection: 107 points
  3. John Tavares, New York Islanders – Currently: 49 points in 38 games, Projection: 106 points
  4. Josh Bailey, New York Islanders – Currently: 49 points in 38 games, Projection: 106 points
  5. Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 46 points in 38 games, Projection: 99 points
  6. Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 46 points in 38 games, Projection: 99 points
  7. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 45 points in 38 games, Projection: 97 points
  8. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 43 points in 37 games, Projection: 95 points
  9. Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 44 points in 39 games, Projection: 93 points
  10. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames – Currently: 41 points in 38 games, Projection: 89 points
  11. Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 41 points in 39 games, Projection: 86 points
  12. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals – Currently: 41 points in 40 games, Projection: 84 points
  13. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 40 points in 39 games, Projection: 84 points
  14. Anders Lee, New York Islanders – Currently: 39 points in 38 games, Projection: 84 points
  15. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks – Currently: 38 points in 37 games, Projection: 84 points
  16. Brock Boeser*, Vancouver Canucks – Currently: 38 points in 36 games, Projection: 84 points
  17. Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues – Currently: 41 points in 41 games, Projection: 82 points
  18. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins – Currently: 32 points in 29 games, Projection: 82 points
  19. Jon Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 34 points in 33 games, Projection: 81 points
  20. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals – Currently: 39 points in 40 games, Projection: 80 points
  21. Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils – Currently: 36 points in 36 games, Projection: 80 points
  22. Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  23. Vincent Trocheck, Florida Panthers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  24. Mathew Barzal*, New York Islanders – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  25. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  26. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 35 points in 35 games, Projection: 78 points
  27. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues – Currently: 38 points in 41 games, Projection: 76 points
  28. Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres – Currently: 35 points in 38 games, Projection: 75 points
  29. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  30. Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  31. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  32. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 35 points in 39 games, Projection: 74 points
  33. Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars – Currently: 35 points in 39 games, Projection: 74 points
  34. David Perron, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 29 points in 30 games, Projection: 74 points
  35. Evander Kane, Buffalo Sabres – Currently: 34 points in 38 games, Projection: 73 points
  36. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers – Currently: 33 points in 37 games, Projection: 73 points
  37. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 33 points in 37 games, Projection: 73 points
  38. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 32 points in 34 games, Projection: 73 points
  39. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs – Currently: 29 points in 29 games, Projection: 72 points
  40. Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets – Currently: 34 points in 39 games, Projection: 71 points
  41. Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars – Currently: 34 points in 39 games, Projection: 71 points
  42. Vlad Namestnikov, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 32 points in 37 games, Projection: 71 points
  43. Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild – Currently: 33 points in 39 games, Projection: 70 points
  44. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks – Currently: 18 points in 15 games, Projection: 70 points
  45. Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames – Currently: 32 points in 38 games, Projection: 69 points
  46. Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings – Currently: 31 points in 37 games, Projection: 69 points
  47. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars – Currently: 32 points in 39 games, Projection: 67 points
  48. William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 29 points in 36 games, Projection: 66 points
  49. Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 28 points in 33 games, Projection: 66 points
  50. Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 29 points in 35 games, Projection: 66 points
  51. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  52. Alexander Radulov, Dallas Stars – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  53. Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  54. Clayton Keller*, Arizona Coyotes – Currently: 31 points in 40 games, Projection: 64 points
  55. John Carlson, Washington Capitals – Currently: 31 points in 40 games, Projection: 64 points
  56. Reilly Smith, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 28 points in 36 games, Projection: 64 points
  57. Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 30 points in 39 games, Projection: 63 points
  58. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  59. Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  60. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  61. Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina Hurricanes – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  62. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  63. James Neal, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 27 points in 36 games, Projection: 62 points
  64. Kyle Turris, Nashville Predators – Currently: 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 62 points
  65. Danton Heinen*, Boston Bruins – Currently: 26 points in 33 games, Projection: 62 points
  66. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  67. Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  68. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  69. Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders – Currently: 28 points in 38 games, Projection: 61 points
  70. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks – Currently: 26 points in 35 games, Projection: 61 points
  71. Mikael Granlund, Minnesota Wild – 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 61 points
  72. Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks – Currently: 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 61 points
  73. Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 27 points in 36 games, Projection: 61 points
  74. Erik Haula, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 61 points
  75. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 27 points in 37 games, Projection: 60 points
  76. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins- Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 60 points
  77. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators – Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 60 points

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So there you have it. If these 77 skaters stay healthy, the 2017-18 season will easily surpass the down 2016-17 campaign could come close to doubling that number of skaters to score 60+ points, setting a new high since the last lockout in the process. Of course, health is always the main factor and the reason why players who were previously on pace for 60+ points (Jaden Schwartz, Mark Scheifele, Filip Forsberg, Logan Couture, Tyson Barrie) are currently impossible to project. They could just as easily bounce back quickly from injury and make this benchmark as they could struggle to return to health and miss it. Will all 75 of these players hit 60+ points? Probably not, though for each one that drops out, another player such as Thomas Vanek, Alex Pietrangelo, David Krejci, William Nylander or Brent Burns could go on a hot streak and jump right into the mix. For now, this is the the current picture in the race to 60 points.

Surprises in the current projections:

  • Lightning, Islanders, and Flyers stars make up the top six projected scorers, with Nikita Kucherov way ahead of everybody. Kucherov could potentially outscore talented teammates Victor Hedman and Tyler Johnson combined.
  • Tampa is joined by Vegas with six players apiece on the list; that’s two teams making up 16% of the league’s top scorers. Add in the Isles’ five players and you have three teams with a 23% share.
  • The Montreal Canadiens are the only team without a player trending toward 60+ points and they aren’t even close. Phillip Danault, Brendan Gallagher, and Alex Galchenyuk are all only on pace for 44 points.
  • How about Kings veteran Dustin Brown on pace for 62 points after five straight seasons of failing to crack 40? Or rarely talked-about Bruins rookie Danton Heinen eyeing 63 points? Neither would have been anywhere near the conversation for 60+ points prior to the season.
  • Four rookies are on pace for 60+ points, led by the extremely impressive Brock Boeser, while Joe Thornton is amazingly the only player over 33 on the same path.

Anaheim Ducks| Boston Bruins| Buffalo Sabres| Calgary Flames| Carolina Hurricanes| Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Dallas Stars| Detroit Red Wings| Edmonton Oilers| Florida Panthers| Injury| Los Angeles Kings| Minnesota Wild| Montreal Canadiens| Nashville Predators| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| New York Rangers| Ottawa Senators| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| Rookies| San Jose Sharks| St. Louis Blues| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs| Utah Mammoth| Vancouver Canucks| Vegas Golden Knights| Washington Capitals| Winnipeg Jets Aleksander Barkov| Alex Galchenyuk| Alex Ovechkin| Alex Pietrangelo| Alexander Radulov| Anders Lee| Anze Kopitar| Artemi Panarin| Auston Matthews| Blake Wheeler| Brad Marchand| Brayden Point| Brayden Schenn| Brendan Gallagher| Brent Burns| Brock Boeser| Claude Giroux| Clayton Keller| Connor McDavid| David Krejci| David Pastrnak| David Perron| Drew Doughty| Dustin Brown| Dustin Brown| Dylan Larkin| Eric Staal| Erik Haula| Erik Karlsson| Evander Kane| Evgeni Malkin| Evgeny Kuznetsov| Filip Forsberg| Gabriel Landeskog| Jack Eichel| Jaden Schwartz| Jakub Voracek| James Neal| Jamie Benn| Joe Thornton| John Carlson| John Klingberg| John Tavares| Johnny Gaudreau| Jonathan Huberdeau| Jordan Eberle| Josh Bailey| Kyle Turris| Leon Draisaitl| Logan Couture| Mark Scheifele| Mark Stone| Mathew Barzal| Mats Zuccarello| Mikael Granlund| Mikko Rantanen| Mitch Marner| Nathan MacKinnon| Nicklas Backstrom| Nikita Kucherov| Nikolaj Ehlers| P.K. Subban| Patrice Bergeron| Patrick Kane| Patrik Laine| Phil Kessel| Phillip Danault

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Snapshots: Penguins, Boeser, Maple Leafs

December 19, 2017 at 3:14 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins made two trades today ahead of the holiday roster freeze, but might not be done this season. Josh Yohe of The Athletic spoke with Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford earlier, who told him that the presence of Jamie Oleksiak—a player Pittsburgh has been looking at for two years—could mean more trades down the line due to added depth on defense.

That’s the same idea that Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had when he suggested Oleksiak could potentially be “insurance against a future Ian Cole trade.” Cole has been rumored to be available since ending up a healthy scratch earlier this season, and has reportedly clashed with head coach Mike Sullivan multiple times. You’d expect Oleksiak would need to prove his worth for a while before they sent any defenseman out of town.

  • Amazingly, Brock Boeser might play tonight for the Vancouver Canucks. The injured forward, who had to have an MRI done on his foot to see if there was any damage after blocking a Mark Giordano shot, will take warm up with the team and see if he can go. His bone bruise is apparently something that isn’t a big worry for the Canucks, as head coach Travis Green told Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 “we’re not going to tell Brock to stop blocking shots.”
  • During the Toronto Maple Leafs’ afternoon game to celebrate 100 years of NHL action, the team broke a big franchise milestone. When James van Riemsdyk scored in the first period, it was the Maple Leafs’ 20,000th goal in franchise history. This comes just a night after Ryan Strome scored the 10,000th in Edmonton Oilers history.

Jim Rutherford| Mike Sullivan| Pittsburgh Penguins| Snapshots| Toronto Maple Leafs| Travis Green| Vancouver Canucks Brock Boeser| Ian Cole| James van Riemsdyk| Jamie Oleksiak

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Injury Notes: Palmieri, Zibanejad, Islanders, Boeser

December 18, 2017 at 4:42 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils will get an important player back tonight, as Kyle Palmieri has been activated from injured reserve. Palmieri had been out for the past dozen games with a broken foot. Taylor Hall, out the last two with a knee injury, is also expected to get back into the lineup when the Devils welcome the Anaheim Ducks to town.

Adam Henrique and Sami Vatanen will be facing their former teams for the first time, adding a little extra incentive on both sides. The Devils, who sit in second place in the competitive Metropolitan Division, already had scored five goals in each of their last two matchups with Western Conference opponents and will try to replicate that effort with some of their top players back on the ice.

  • The New York Rangers, currently trying to catch the Devils in the Metro, will welcome back their own offensive star tomorrow night when Mika Zibanejad returns from his concussion problems. Zibanejad has been out since November 26th, but was among the leaders on the team with 22 points through his first 24 games. The 24-year old center is rounding into an excellent offensive piece, and will skate between Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich upon his return.
  • The New York Islanders, not to be outdone by their Metro counterparts, also made a move to activate Thomas Hickey off injured reserve today. Unfortunately, it came along with the announcement that Calvin de Haan is headed to IR with his upper-body injury. You could see de Haan writhing in pain after breaking up a 2-on-1 opportunity in overtime against the Los Angeles Kings, though it’s not clear yet how much time he will miss.
  • Brock Boeser went for an MRI on his foot today after blocking a Mark Giordano shot, but all the team announced was that he avoided a fracture. That’s good news for the Vancouver Canucks, but still doesn’t answer when we’ll see Boeser back on the ice. The team will update further as more details become available.

Anaheim Ducks| Injury| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| New York Rangers| Vancouver Canucks Brock Boeser| Calvin de Haan| Kyle Palmieri| Mika Zibanejad

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Snapshots: Three Stars, Mahura, Boeser

December 18, 2017 at 12:55 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The NHL released their three stars of the week, and Patrick Kane comes home with top honors. Kane had five points in three games including two game-winning goals, and moved into fifth on the all-time Chicago Blackhawks goals list.

Brian Elliott and Josh Bailey rounded out the list after a pair of incredible performances. It was Elliott’s second straight appearance on the list, as the Philadelphia Flyers goaltender has now won his last six starts, allowing just nine goals in the process. Amazingly that has followed a stretch where Elliott lost nine straight starts, as he echos the Flyers inconsistent season.

  • Josh Mahura is back with the Canadian World Junior team despite being among the final cuts last week. The Anaheim Ducks defensive prospect will fill in for the injured Dante Fabbro during the pre-tournament games, but likely will return to the WHL before the start of the tournament. Mahura, a third-round pick by the Ducks in 2016, has developed quite well over the last two years and looks like he’ll be a full-time NHL defender one day. With 29 points in 28 games, Mahura is one of the most impressive defenders in the WHL and will try to compete for a role on the Ducks next training camp.
  • Brock Boeser is undergoing an MRI on his injured foot today to find out exactly how much damage was done when he blocked a Mark Giordano shot last night. Boeser crawled to the Vancouver Canucks bench in obvious pain, and wasn’t able to return. Having an incredible rookie season, it would be a tough blow for the Canucks to lose Boeser for any length of time, especially with Bo Horvat dealing with injury already.

Anaheim Ducks| Chicago Blackhawks| Dallas Stars| Injury| NHL| Philadelphia Flyers| Snapshots| Vancouver Canucks| WHL Bo Horvat| Brian Elliott| Brock Boeser| Josh Bailey| Mark Giordano| Patrick Kane

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Minor Transactions: 12/18/17

December 18, 2017 at 9:35 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

A new week begins in the NHL and teams must make their final few roster moves before a freeze is put in effect tomorrow night. We’ll keep track of any last minute moves around the league right here. Make sure to refresh throughout the day.

  • As expected, Madison Bowey and Jakub Vrana have both been recalled today. Their assignment to Hershey yesterday was nothing more than a cap saving measure, and both players weren’t expected to miss any time. Vrana is skating with T.J. Oshie—back at Washington Capitals practice today after missing several games with a concussion—and Evgeny Kuznetsov, an impressive line for the young forward.
  • Ville Pokka is on his way back to the AHL without having played a game for the Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately, the 23-year old hasn’t been able to make an impact with the team since being acquired several years ago, and is still waiting to make his NHL debut. The Rockford IceHogs will welcome him back, but he’ll have to do more to crack the Blackhawks lineup down the road.
  • The St. Louis Blues have recalled Tage Thompson from the AHL, while moving Samuel Blais to injured reserve. Thompson, 20, is a top prospect for the Blues who has already played four games for the club this season. Selected in the first round of the 2016 draft, Thompson turned pro out of the University of Connecticut last spring and so far has 16 points in 24 games for the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.
  • With Brock Boeser out with a foot injury for the time being, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled Reid Boucher to help up front. Because the extent of Boeser’s injury is unclear and he hasn’t been placed on injured reserve yet, the team sent down defensmean Ashton Sautner to make room for Boucher’s return.
  • Edmonton has activated Adam Larsson from injured reserve and sent Anton Slepyshev to the minor leagues to make room. Larsson will be welcomed back with open arms after the team has started to play better of late. While still several points out of playoff contention, the Oilers have started to turn around what was a dreadful start of the year. Getting Larsson back after missing nearly three weeks will be sure to help.
  • With Jacob Josefson returning to the lineup, the Buffalo Sabres have sent Hudson Fasching back to the minor leagues. Fasching has been held scoreless in five games for the Sabres this season, and has yet to make much of an impact on the organization since being acquired in 2014.
  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Ben Harpur from the minor leagues, bringing them to just 22 players on the active roster. The Senators had been operating with just 21 players on the active roster for some time, likely connected with the recent comments of owner Eugene Melnyk about cutting payroll. Harpur has played 12 games for the Senators this season, recording one point. It’s unclear if he’ll get into the lineup right away, or if he’s just up for insurance as the team takes on the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night.

AHL| Chicago Blackhawks| Edmonton Oilers| Injury| St. Louis Blues| Transactions| Vancouver Canucks| Washington Capitals Adam Larsson| Anton Slepyshev| Brock Boeser| Evgeny Kuznetsov| Jakub Vrana| Madison Bowey

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Injury Notes: Baertschi, Byfuglien, Ducks

December 11, 2017 at 1:51 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Vancouver Canucks were dealt another blow today when it was announced that Sven Baertschi will miss four to six weeks with a broken jaw. The young forward won’t need surgery, but it is still a huge chunk of the season to miss right as the Canucks are trying to prove they’re more than just a hot start.

The team is already without Bo Horvat for some time, and are still trying to get Brandon Sutter back into the lineup. While Brock Boeser does his best to keep the offense moving, other players will need to step up both at even-strength and on the powerplay.

  • Another upstart Canadian Western Conference team will be without one of their most important defenders for the next few weeks. Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is out “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury, with a post-Christmas return the hope at the moment. In his absence, Tucker Poolman will get back into the lineup and try to prove why he was so heralded coming out of the University of North Dakota. The Jets have seven games before the Christmas break, and ten left in the month of December.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have perhaps faced more injury turmoil than any other team this year, but are starting to get health. As Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports, Ryan Getzlaf and Jakob Silfverberg are likely to return up front tonight. With Ryan Kesler also nearing a return, the Ducks should be feared in the wide open Pacific division.

Anaheim Ducks| Injury| Vancouver Canucks| Winnipeg Jets Bo Horvat| Brandon Sutter| Brock Boeser| Dustin Byfuglien| Jakob Silfverberg

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What Your Team Is Thankful For: Vancouver Canucks

December 6, 2017 at 4:10 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. So far we’ve covered ANA, ARZ, BUF, CGY, CAR, CBJ, COL, DET, LAK, NSH, NJD, NYI, STL, TOR, WSH, and VGK.

What are the Vancouver Canucks most thankful for?

A weak Pacific Division.

Heading into the season, the Pacific Division was expected to be a meat grinder. With the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks all considered legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup, teams like Vancouver and Vegas were just hoping to stay competitive. Those predictions have been turned on their heads, as the Los Angeles Kings pace the division through the first third of the season while the aforementioned “contenders” are struggling to stay above (or even get to) .500.

Vancouver, led by some young stars and a brand new head coach find themselves in third place in the division and currently holding a playoff spot in the Western Conference. For a team expecting to take a hard look at a real rebuild, early success may have changed their minds.

Brock BoeserWho are the Canucks most thankful for?

Brock Boeser.

When Boeser suited up for the University of North Dakota on March 24th, 2017 he was preparing to play Boston University in a do-or-die matchup in the NCAA tournament. Little did he know that he’d be scoring the game-winning goal for the Vancouver Canucks a little over 24 hours later. The game against BU went to double overtime before Clayton Keller and Charlie McAvoy hooked up to end UND’s tournament, but Boeser wouldn’t have time to mope. He immediately signed with the Canucks and was in the lineup the next night, scoring his first on a rebound goal after Bo Horvat was stopped on a breakaway.

Boeser hasn’t slowed down since, and now has 17 goals and 30 points in 34 career games. He leads the Canucks in scoring this year—trailed closely by Horvat—and will likely be in the Calder Trophy conversation right until the end. The 20-year old has made such an immediate impact on the team, that they may believe their competitive window has been slid open just a bit more.

What would the Canucks be even more thankful for?

An appearance from Markus Granlund.

Last season, before there was the late-season appearance from Boeser, three other intriguing young forwards were making their mark: Horvat, Sven Baertschi and Granlund. The first two are back doing the things they showed last year, with 20 and 17 points respectively this season. The latter though, Granlund, has been nothing close to the 19-goal man he was a year ago.

The 24-year old Granlund had 32 points in 69 games last season, easily a career high and a sign that his future with the team was bright. After all, 16 of his 19 goals came at even strength (tied with Baertschi for the team lead) and he graded out as arguably the best possession player on the team.

That hasn’t been the case this time around, as Granlund has just five points on the season and has seen those strong possession numbers plummet. He’s been one of the most disappointing pieces on the roster under new coach Travis Green, and it’s no longer clear where exactly he fits long-term. He’s a restricted free agent this summer, and may end up being overlooked as a key piece for the Canucks going forward.

What should be on the Canucks’ Holiday Wish List?

More draft picks and prospects.

Despite their early success, this team is primed to sell at the deadline. We examined their collection of trade deadline assets recently, and the plan shouldn’t be deviated from. There is another wave of talent coming for the Canucks, as shown by the group of six Vancouver prospects that could suit up for their respective countries at this year’s World Junior Championship, but it isn’t enough.

Boeser, Horvat and others are already making an impact at the NHL level but the team still lacks the depth to really compete for the Stanley Cup. Using some expiring (or soon expiring) assets to add to the prospect cupboards could help them get there quicker than many would have believed in the middle of last season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Prospects| Travis Green| Vancouver Canucks Bo Horvat| Brock Boeser| Markus Granlund| Sven Baertschi

4 comments

Snapshots: IIHF HOF, Players Of The Month, Devils

December 1, 2017 at 4:30 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 7 Comments

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) named their 2018 Hall of Fame class today, with several notable NHL names among them. Former stars Daniel Alfredsson, Rob Blake, Chris Chelios, and Jere Lehtinen will all be immortalized for their impressive international careers. Between them, the Swede, Canadian, American, and Finn have 16 Olympic Games and 8 Olympic medals, to of course go along with outstanding professional careers. Builders Philippe Lacarriere, a former European player and IIHF Councilman, and Bob Nadin, a long-time referee, will also be inducted.

  • In terms of current recognition, the NHL announced the top players of the month of November today. The Three Stars of the Month were Colorado Avalanche star center Nathan MacKinnon at #1, Toronto Maple Leafs keeper Frederik Andersen at #2, and new St. Louis Blue Brayden Schenn at #3. MacKinnon was a point per game player last month, notching five goals and fifteen assists in 12 games for the Avs. Andersen kept the Leafs going with nine wins, a 2.14 GAA, and .938 save percentage. Schenn was arguably better than either despite coming in third, with seven goals and twelve assists in just 12 games, bringing his season total to 30 points in 25 contests. Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser was named the Rookie of the Month behind his 16 points in 15 games, as the young scorer has kept the Canucks afloat early on and leads all first-year players in scoring.
  • If there was an award for Team of the Month, it could have easily gone to the New Jersey Devils. The Devils have somehow survived another month at or near the top of the toughest division in hockey, the Metropolitan, despite little expectation that they would even be a playoff contender in 2017-18. To cap off the month, they swung a deal to acquire a much-needed elite defenseman yesterday as well. The Devils are just getting started though – the team announced that Sami Vatanen caught a cross-country flight, took part in morning skate, and will make his debut tonight and joining him will be Marcus Johansson, the big off-season acquisition, who is returning from a long injury absence. November was a great month for the Devils, but December is starting off even stronger.

Colorado Avalanche| Dallas Stars| New Jersey Devils| Rob Blake| Snapshots| Toronto Maple Leafs| Vancouver Canucks Brayden Schenn| Brock Boeser| Frederik Andersen| Hall of Fame| Marcus Johansson| Nathan MacKinnon

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Pacific Notes: Boeser, Sedin, Yamamoto, Jones

November 5, 2017 at 7:49 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser’s hat trick in Saturday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins proved one thing — they can’t hide him any longer. The Vancouver Sun’s Jason Botchford writes that no matter how much this team tries to protect him, there is no point — he’s the becoming the new face of the franchise and the team better make sure they allow him to flourish.

The scribe writes that there hasn’t been much talk all year of Boeser being a Calder Trophy candidate, but after putting up his third, fourth and fifth goals of the season Saturday, maybe they should be talking about that. He was always supposed to be one of the team’s top scorers, but after last night, Boeser now leads the team in scoring with 13 points after 13 games. Keep in mind, he was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the season and he missed one game due to injury.

The timing almost seems fitting as TSN’s Jeff Patterson notes that Henrik Sedin’s role in the third period found him opening the door from the bench for the younger players. The scribe notes this is what the Sedin brothers have always hoped for, for the team to develop while they are still there, but that comes at the cost of reduced roles. Sedin has just three assists in 13 games, while his brother Daniel Sedin has two goals and three assists. With a  5-1-1 record in the last seven games, this might be the right time for Boeser to take that next step.

  • Edmonton Oilers rookie Kailer Yamamoto played today in his ninth NHL game, now one shy before the Oilers burn the first year of his entry-level deal, according to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The question for the 19-year-old winger is whether that’s the end of the road for him this season. Will the Oilers hold onto the young scorer, who has three assists in nine games? Or will he be returned to his junior team?
  • San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones has now gone eight straight games of allowing two goals or less this year after Saturday’s 2-1 shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks, according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required). The steady goalie made several key saves in the second period on his way to the victory. The 27-year-old who has always been steady in net for the Sharks currently boasts a 1.98 GAA in 10 games and a .930 save percentage.

Edmonton Oilers| San Jose Sharks| Vancouver Canucks Brock Boeser| Daniel Sedin| Henrik Sedin| Kailer Yamamoto| Martin Jones

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Pacific Notes: Shore, Lewis, Shipachyov, DeMelo, Boeser

November 4, 2017 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

A change of coaches in Los Angeles has turned two defensive-first players under former coach Darryl Sutter into new scoring options under new head coach John Stevens. Nick Shore and Trevor Lewis have been showing off some of their offensive skills so far this season, which including a highlight reel pass and shoot goal from Shore to Lewis in Thursday’s victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The shift to Stevens’ offensive focused system was picked up quickly by the two forwards, according to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times. While the 25-year-old Shore only has one goal and two assists so far in 10 games, it’s still an improvement on last year’s six goals and 17 points that he had in 70 games. As for Lewis, the long-time King has never had more than 25 points in a season in all his years, but he might break that number this year as he already has four goals and three assists in 10 games. Both were at one time in their minor league careers considered to have some offensive talent and they feel they can show more.

“I think we’ve really put a focus on scoring more and offensive zone play,” Lewis said. “Obviously the new system we’re playing, I think starting off with Shoresy and [Kyle Clifford], we grasped it right away. I think that helps and it helps create more.”

  • With Vegas Golden Knights’ Vadim Shipachyov filing voluntary retirement paperwork rather than having his contract terminated, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels tweets that Vegas will still retain Shipachyov’s NHL rights until the veteran turns 35 years of age. Many believe, however, that the 30-year-old center has no interest in returning to the NHL.
  • Staying with the Golden Knights, the team picked up their ninth win of the season today, tying the 1980-81 expansion Winnipeg Jets, according to the Vegas Golden Knights. The team is just one win away from tying the inaugural Ottawa Senators.
  • Paul Gackle of The Mercury News writes that with the injury to veteran defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks defenseman Dylan DeMelo will be given the opportunity to prove he belongs. After playing in the first two games of the season, the 24-year-old defenseman lost his job to Tim Heed and Joakim Ryan and has been a healthy scratch for the last 10 games. Now, the prospect who had already played 70 games with San Jose before the season even started, gets a second chance to prove he belongs.
  • Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Sun writes that the Vancouver Canucks have been working on their power play and have now moved rookie Brock Boeser to the left of the face circle on their first team in hopes to take advantage of his release. The move is supposed to unleash the talents of the highly-touted prospect who has two goals and seven assists so far this year in nine games.

Darryl Sutter| John Stevens| Los Angeles Kings| San Jose Sharks| Vancouver Canucks| Vegas Golden Knights Brock Boeser| Dylan DeMelo| Joakim Ryan| Kyle Clifford| Marc-Edouard Vlasic| Nick Shore

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