For a second, it looked like Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser’s season was off to a shaky start.
After missing the beginning of training camp while his contract negotiations were being finalized, Boeser was finally signed to a new three-year bridge deal ($5.875 million AAV) but only a week after the contract was announced, he suffered a concussion in a preseason game against the Ottawa Senators on September 24.
It seemed especially unfortunate both for a young player who’d already battled injuries in his previous two seasons with the Canucks — a frightening back injury in his rookie season and a groin injury last November that caused him to miss 11 games — and for a team that was depending on him to be a key piece of their talented young core as they strive to make the playoffs for the first time in five years.