Sorry but horrible take on Brock. Even the best scorers miss 80% of the time. The guy has 36 goals and is a ppg plus 20 going up against top lines. His play since being healthy from the start for once, is top line production for 6 million a year. Christ what more does he have to do to finally get the credit he deserves.
Tochett literally has him out there closing out games, that should be enough of sign for his detracters.
Think Boeser has made good strides in his defensive game (that I have consistently acknowledged) but it's still not a strenght. Just doesn't have the kind of speed or first step that allows to track down people in transition in the neutral zone or get real good pressure on the puck in his zone. Would say there are many offensive players in the League who aren't much better. Lots given only a token effort (as Boeser did for much of the last few years) so it's a tribute to the coaches that they have got him as defensively involved as they have. But he isn't ever going to be a defensive stalwart and if he isn't scoring then he's a negative.
Best aspect of his game is his puck movement and with him being in better shape and somewhat quicker he has done well for most of the season. Sees the ice decently and moves puck well in the offenisve zone.
Case I am making here is that the Canucks have to worry about the cap. They are going to have to make some difficult decisions. I think you can make a case that Boeser's production can be replaced by maybe a cheaper alternative. For example. could Hoglander if given that he is played with Miller all year, that he is played on the first PP all year and gets Boeser's minutes could score at the same rate and do it cheaper He's got 20 without any of this. Or are there younger players in the League who have not yet been given the chance Boeser has been given that could score in Boeser's range a complete of mill less than 6.5.
If so, then you get the chance to trade Boeser and get something like a first rounder and, at the same time, find internally or in free agency a player that can replace Boeser's production. Such thoughts occur when you see Boeser blowing the kind of chances he did in this game.
What I'm saying is NOT an anti-Boeser diatrabe but only the need to consider alternative to make best use of the cap and to retain other players we want to keep. Boeser's season has been a huge improvment over the past few. But we have seen in hte past how if he loses a step to injury, conditioning or whatever he simply isn't worth the money. Making use of him as asset to help with the cap or to get something good while he's hot should, in my mind, needs be a consideration if you are trying to consider all your alternatives.
