Canucks: Should struggling Brock Boeser be the next veteran scratch?

The numbers are numbing and the scoring slump simply stunning.

There was a time when Brock Boeser instinctively unleashed a no-hesitation wrist shot that packed velocity and accuracy to pick any corner of the net. That now seems like so long ago.

The game has changed. Scoring lanes are clogged and it takes as much will as skill to light the lamp.

The Vancouver Canucks’ right-winger did that to reach a career-high 40 goals in 2023-24, including 16 on the power play, and supported by a super-sharp 19.6 per cent shooting accuracy. There was also the willingness to get to tough areas for screens, tips, and deflections.

It was Boeser at his best.

Fast forward and he is now stuck in the muck of a career-worst 17 games without a goal and just one his last 24. He owns a 10.3 shooting percentage — that’s the lowest in four seasons and is on pace for only 18 goals, his fewest since 2022-23.

Boeser also has a minus-22 ranking. That’s worst in the entire NHL. It’s as startling as the scoring slump.

On Tuesday in Buffalo, he had a pair of third-period assists as the Canucks rallied from a deep 4-0 hole before falling 5-3 to the resurgent Sabres to open a six-game road trip. Boeser also had three shots, but three more missed the mark, and he finished a team worst minus-3 ranking.

Is it time for Boeser to sit out one game for a reset? Would it do more harm than good?

He will play Thursday in Detroit, based on practice lines Wednesday with new looks that Adam Foote said not to read too much into. Maybe that’s just code for coaching rationale to get a smarter start.

Boeser was aligned with Elias Pettersson and Evander Kane, while Max Sasson worked between Liam Öhgren and Linus Karlsson, while Aatu Raty was between Jake DeBrusk and Drew O’Connor. That left David Kampf with Nils Hoglander and Kiefer Sherwood.

You could argue the Canucks need everybody, even a struggling Boeser, if they are going to make something of this trip. Or, in reality with this season already so far off the rails, maybe sitting the longest-serving current member of the club would have the right trickle-down effect and spur others to up their game.

Or maybe it wouldn’t do anything. Incentive should come from within. Boeser has played through pain this season. His stride has laboured at times on the back check, and lack of engagement noticeable.

“It’s part of the condensed schedule,” reasoned Boeser. “You’re going to have nicks, bumps and bruises and whatever. But I push through it. We have to be harder to play against and dialled in at all times.”

He has pressed on, mostly on pride and management faith, and it showed July 1, when it looked like he was headed for free agency before a seven-year, $50.75 million US commitment that carries a $7.25 million annual cap hit. It includes no-movement clause in the first four years.

The Dec.12 trade departure of captain Quinn Hughes in a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Wild has hurt, and offence that misses his quick zone exits and playmaking ability to find open teammates. The Canucks are 5-4-2 since the transaction.

Turning back the clock might help Boeser the most.

In his march to 40 goals in 2023-24, he was surprised to learn he ranked second overall with eight tipped goals in March to share the spot with noted tippers Sam Reinhart, Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin. Finding a new way to be effective by setting screens for tips and rebounds paid off for Boeser.

He knew the days of hanging out on the perimeter to unload long bombs are long gone. Dirty work gets it done today.

“You continue to see where a lot of these guys score from, and it’s within five feet of the net,” Boeser told Postmedia at that time. “That’s what the coaches have talked about. I’ve tried to get my mindset to parking my rear-end in front of the net and creating stuff.”

As for the possibly of now sitting out a game, Boeser doesn’t have to look far to see what it could accomplish.

DeBrusk was mired in a 10-game goal drought — not unusual for a streaky scoring winger — but just one goal in 16 games and missing elements to be a net-front presence, led to watching and not playing in a Dec. 29 game at Seattle. His response to the scratch was straight forward and expected.

“It sucks. It’s embarrassing. I’d be wrong to say I wasn’t pissed off right now, but I understand I need the jolt,” he said. “Any time you’re in this position it’s a lot of things. I’ve been known my whole career as a 5-on-5 contributor and it’s probably been my most frustrating year by far.”

Boeser can say the same.

DeBrusk responded to the scratch with four points (2-2) and 16 shots in his last three games. He scored on the power play Tuesday to start the comeback, and finished with four shots and five attempts. And yet, he sang a familiar post-game refrain of what has crippled a season of hope turned to despair.

“We weren’t ready to play, and that’s on us,” he admitted. “I like the fight in the third, but there’s a fine line between winning and losing. Little plays can make the difference.”

And so can tough decisions, like scratching a veteran player.

bkuzma@postmedia.com