Canucks ink Brock Boeser to 3-year, $19.95M US deal

After a difficult year, Brock Boeser has committed to sticking with the Vancouver Canucks.

The club announced Friday it has signed a three-year contract worth $6.65 million US per season with the 25-year-old right-winger.

The agreement means Boeser, a restricted free agent, and the Canucks will avoid arbitration.

Boeser, who hails from Burnsville, Minn., put up 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) in 71 games last season.

At the end of the campaign, he told reporters he had been struggling with the declining health of his father, Duke, who died at the end of May following a long battle with cancer and Parkinson's disease.

"He obviously went through a really tough time last year and we believe that he is capable of being a better player going forward," Allvin said.

The six-foot-one, 208-pound Boeser has played 324 regular-season games for Vancouver, tallying 256 points (121 goals, 135 assists) and 88 penalty minutes.

2018 Calder Trophy finalist

The Canucks picked him 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL entry draft. He was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL's top rookie, in 2018.

Boeser signed a three-year deal with an average annual value of $5.875 million per year in 2019, and was given a qualifying offer of $7.5 million heading into negotiations for his latest deal.

The Canucks, who finished last season five points shy of the playoffs with a 40-30-12 record, have asked players to help the club create cap space as they push to be competitive going forward, Allvin said.

Boeser's deal says a lot about the forward, the GM added.

"This shows Brock wants to be a big part of the Vancouver Canucks going forward," Allvin said.

Mike Yeo joins as assistant coach

The Canucks also announced the hiring of Mike Yeo as an assistant coach and promotion of Trent Cull to the same position to flesh out Bruce Boudreau's staff for the upcoming NHL season.

The club also announced assistant coach Brad Shaw is leaving the organization to take an associate coach position with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Jeremy Colliton will take over from Cull as head coach of the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks.

Yeo, 48, served as an assistant coach with the Flyers in 2020-21 and for the first 22 games of 2021-22 before being named interim head coach for the remainder of the season following the firing of Alain Vigneault.

Yeo has also served as head coach with the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues.

Throughout 542 NHL games coached, Yeo compiled a 263-217-62 record. The Toronto native was an assistant coach with the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.

Cull, 48, begins his sixth year with the Canucks organization after most recently serving as Abbotsford's head coach.

He led the AHL Canucks to a 39-23-5-1 record and a playoff appearance last season.

He coached the Canadian men's team for one game at the 2022 Beijing Olympics after head coach Claude Julien was delayed in joining the team due to a rib injury.

"I am so excited to help bring this group of coaches together," Boudreau said in a statement. "When I started the conversations with Mike Yeo, it became clear to me that he would be an excellent addition.

"Working with [general manager Patrik Allvin] to create a well-rounded staff was very important for us as we look to continue to build upon the momentum we experienced last season."