Brock Boeser admitted on Monday that his long-term deal with the Vancouver Canucks ended up happening in a surprising way after what he described as a stressful year of uncertainty.
The 28-year-old winger signed a seven-year, $50.75 million contract on July 1, hours into free agency, ending speculation that he might leave after failing to reach an agreement for an extension during and after the regular season.
“Yeah, for sure (I appreciate the opportunity to being back with the Canucks). Obviously, that was a very stressful time, and just happy that it’s over and done with, and now I can just focus on playing hockey,” Boeser said. “And, obviously, I said that I wanna be here from the start, so I’m super excited and really happy I can just focus on hockey now.”
“I said I want to be here from the start so I’m super excited and really happy I can just focus on hockey now.”
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 8, 2025
️ Brock Boeser meets with the media at Milford and discusses his summer, moving forward from last season, and more. pic.twitter.com/mFpkrljBu0
According to different reports that emerged before free agency, Boeser had other options and could have signed elsewhere.
Nick Kypreos of the Toronto Star reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs made a push for the Canucks forward after missing out on landing other high-profile free agents, offering a higher annual value than Vancouver’s $7.25 million per year on a shorter term.
NHL insider Rick Dhaliwal reported that Boeser had as many as five serious offers on the table, and the Canucks forward admitted at the time of signing the extension that he was caught off guard by Vancouver’s approach after months of stalled talks.
“I definitely didn’t think that this was going to happen,” Boeser said. “A phone call in the last hour changed everything.”
The Canucks, after failing to land other free agents, circled back and offered Boeser the extension he wanted. Boeser chose the security and familiarity of Vancouver over a chance to join Auston Matthews in Toronto on a bigger salary.
Boeser will try to rebound next season after scoring just 25 goals in 75 games last year, a drop from the 40-goal mark he hit the year before.
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