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As Canucks enter rebuild, is Brock Boeser still the face of the franchise?: Year in Review
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Apr 22, 2026, 13:30 EDTUpdated: Apr 22, 2026, 13:02 EDT
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Let’s get this part out of the way early: Brock Boeser was a National Hockey League worst minus-48 this season. The Chicago Blackhawks’ Artyom Levshunov was the only one of the 940 skaters who played a game in the league this season within 15 of the veteran Vancouver Canucks winger. No other forward in the league was within 16. Say what you will about the many flaws of plus-minus as a statistic, when you’re dead last like Boeser was this season, it doesn’t bathe you in a flattering light.
More nuanced numbers tell much the same story. At 5-on-5, the Canucks were outscored 63-29 with Boeser on the ice this season. The 31.1% goal share was the lowest among all Canucks regulars, and the expected goals percentage (41.4%) didn’t paint a much better picture.
Suffice it to say, it was a difficult season for the 29-year-old Burnsville, MN native. It was a season punctuated by an unheard-of 21-game goal drought from late November through mid-January and an unfortunate head injury for a second straight year.
Yet, to Boeser’s credit, he finished the season strong, leading the hockey club in both goals (10) and points (23) in 25 games after the Olympic break. His 12 even-strength points over that span also placed him first in that category. For the season, his 22 goals were second on the team, and his 48 points left him third in team scoring. Both of those totals were a far cry from the career-best 40 goals and 74 points he registered just two years ago.
If looking at Boeser’s season in two chunks – before and after the Olympics – the reasons for his scoring dichotomy are pretty simple to explain. For much of November, Boeser found himself on a line with Lukas Reichel, a natural winger acquired for a mid-round draft pick and asked to provide some solidity at centre ice. It was a failed experiment, with Reichel producing just a single point – an assist – in 14 games, floundering to tread water as an NHL centreman. 
The Canucks solution to the issue wasn’t much better. And certainly didn’t help Boeser. The team plucked veteran checking centre David Kämpf from the scrap heap after he and the Toronto Maple Leafs agreed to terminate his contract. Kämpf provided some faceoff, match-up and penalty killing utility, but playing much higher in the lineup than he ever should have, his offence was virtually non-existent. And, as such, so was Boeser’s.
In 160 minutes with Boeser and Kämpf together at 5-on-5, the Canucks managed just four goals. They only allowed seven, it must be pointed out, so they basically did what they could to stay afloat on their shifts together. 
And just when it seemed like a bad season couldn’t get much worse, Boeser was sidelined for a month with a concussion after a needless head shot from Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust as time expired in a January game at Rogers Arena.
Things brightened for Boeser in late February when he found himself on a line with a fully healthy Marco Rossi – a legitimate playmaking centre with a 60-point season on his resume. Along with Liam Öhgren, those three formed the BRO line, quickly established chemistry and provided the Canucks with a legitimate scoring threat on many of their shifts together.
Boeser and Rossi were also key components in the league’s second best power play out of the Olympics. The Canucks cashed in on 19 of 58 opportunities (32.8%) down the stretch, with Boeser scoring four of those goals and figuring in 10 of them. 
As the season spiralled and other veterans were moved out, Boeser seemed to find more of a voice in the locker room. He was often referenced by head coach Adam Foote as one of the experienced players who had taken on additional leadership as the hockey club announced its plan to rebuild. To his credit, he appeared to be doing his best to set an example for the younger players as the Canucks tried to recalibrate their culture. Then again, it was far too little and way too late to make any real difference in a season that had gone completely off the rails. 
Entering the second year of a seven-year $50.75M contract extension signed last summer, Boeser has expressed his willingness to grind through the tough times in an effort to set the Canucks back on course for the future. With the right centre, can he be a 30-goal scorer for the hockey club? Is 25 a more realistic target with his 30th birthday looming in February? And can Boeser find a way to improve his defensive presence to avoid the massive hole he dug for himself this season?
These are all legitimate questions for the longest-serving skater still with the organization and a player that remains one of the faces of the franchise. But even that role has a shelf life. And as the Canucks try to turn the page on a disastrous season and transition to the next young core, Brock Boeser has to find his role in the rebuild and be more consistent than he was this past season.
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