Newly-acquired forward Anthony Beauvillier to wear No. 72 with Vancouver Canucks

We now know what number Anthony Beauvillier will wear on the back of his Vancouver Canucks uniform.

Now free from the rules imposed by Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, who frowns upon his players wearing numbers above 40, Beauvillier has elected to wear No. 72 with the Canucks.

Beauvillier donned No. 18 during his tenure with the New York Islanders. The 25-year-old forward spent the first seven seasons of his NHL career on Long Island before being traded to the Canucks — alongside Aatu Räty and a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick — in the Bo Horvat deal on Monday.

The Islanders originally selected Beauvillier in the first round (No. 28 overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft. The 5’11”, 180-lb. left wing made his NHL debut with the team in 2016–17 and set a career standard with 21 goals the following season.

Beauvillier made his biggest impact with the Islanders during the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring 14 goals and 27 points in 41 games over the two runs. But he took a step back in the 2021–22 season, recording 12 goals and 34 points in 75 games.

Through 49 games with the Islanders to kick off the 2022–23 campaign, Beauvillier amassed nine goals and 20 points. The Sorel-Tracy, Quebec product is under contract through July 2024 at a $4.15 million annual cap hit.

Only two players have ever previously worn No. 72 with the Canucks: Travis Boyd and Peter Schaefer. Boyd appeared in just 19 games with the team during the 2020–21 pandemic season, scoring two goals; Schaefer book-ended his career with two stints in Vancouver, wearing four different numbers (15, 29, 72, and 18) along the way.

Beauvillier is expected to make his Canucks debut against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center in Newark on Feb. 6.