Canucks sign Brock Boeser to three-year, $17.625 million extension

Rudi Schuller

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Canucks sign Brock Boeser to three-year, $17.625 million extension image

Brock's back in Vancouver.

The Canucks and restricted free agent Brock Boeser agreed to a three-year, $17.625 million contract extension, the team announced Monday. The deal, which carries a $5.875 million average annual value (AAV), comes after the Canucks re-signed several players over the summer, leaving Boeser as the biggest question mark heading into training camp this month.

Boeser, 22, scored 55 and 56 points, respectively, in each of the past two seasons despite not having played more than 69 games in either campaign, and is seen as a big part of Vancouver's promising young core alongside Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. The Burnsville, Minn., native was reportedly looking for a longer deal with a higher AAV, so Monday's announcement can be seen as a win for the rebuilding Canucks team. 

MORE: Complete list of all 31 NHL teams' UFA, RFA players

"We're very pleased to have Brock re-sign," Canucks general manager Jim Benning said in a team statement. "He's a talented player, a key contributor to our offence and an important part of our team's future. We look forward to having Brock join the team in preparation for the upcoming season."

Selected 23rd overall in the 2015 draft, Boeser made an immediate impact after signing his entry-level contract on March 25, 2017, and scoring later that same day in his NHL debut. He netted four goals in nine games in 2016-17 before starting his first full season the following fall. Boeser's 2017-18 campaign was shortened by injury, but the right wing still made enough of an impression to be named as a finalist for the Calder Trophy despite only appearing in 62 games.

A similar story played out for Boeser last season, as he finished third in team scoring even though he missed 13 games with a groin injury.

Regardless, Boeser's re-signing provides a boost for the Canucks on the day they open their eight-game preseason schedule. When news of the deal broke Monday, reaction on Twitter from those within the organization was swift, including from the player himself.

The earliest the Canucks could have Boeser in uniform is against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Rudi Schuller