Free Agent Troy Brouwer Eyeing Hometown Vancouver Canucks
By Ryan Ritchie
Free Agent Troy Brouwer Would Love to Play for His Hometown Vancouver Canucks in Front of Friends and Family
Free agent Troy Brouwer is entertaining the idea of returning to where his hockey career began to play for his hometown Vancouver Canucks.
He turns 31 in August, but there’s still at least a handful of good years left in the tank for the rugged winger who like wine, seems to only get better with age.
Coming off a 39-point season with the Blues following a trade for T.J. Oshie last summer, free agent Troy Brouwer had the most productive postseason of his career posting 13 points in 20 games in 2016.
Brouwer was originally a 7th round selection of the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2004.
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He made his first NHL appearance in 2006-07 towards the end of the year after a productive 79-point 66-game AHL rookie season. He spent one more year with AHL Rockford before joining the Blackhawks full-time in 2008-09.
Three years later, Troy Brouwer became a casualty of the salary cap, and was eventually traded in the summer of 2011 to Washington in exchange for a 1st round draft pick (which ended up being Phillip Danault, traded to Montreal in 2015-16).
Free Agent Troy Brouwer had the most production of his career between 2010 and 2015 with Washington. He posted 33 points during his first two seasons, and 43 points over the last two.
"via Sportsnet,The 6-foot-3, 213-pound Brouwer will be coveted by the competition and should see a raise from his current $3.67-million salary cap hit. The winger said he would love to return to St. Louis, but there’s only so much dough to go around — and a chunk of that should go to RFA Jaden Schwartz, in need of a raise from his $2.35 million salary."
Technically speaking, Jim Benning/Trevor Linden and company could easily afford free agent Troy Brouwer should they wish to sign him. The question is, does Vancouver have a hole in their top nine that needs to be filled with a near 31-year old veteran (even as a short-term option)?
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Simple answer to that is yes. They’ve subtracted Jared McCann and Radim Vrbata. A key addition is Brock Boeser, but it’s still unclear where he fits from day one, and there could be growing pains similar to what we saw with Jake Virtanen.
A healthy Brandon Sutter makes a big difference, but we’re dealing with a lot of unknowns. Let’s not forget a pair of aging veterans in Alex Burrows and Chris Higgins, both of which could be moved during the offseason.
Jim Benning sent a message to the fan base following the acquisition of Erik Gudbranson. It said we still think we can be competitive during this transitional period to a younger core group.
So, why not sign Troy Brouwer? He can slide up and down your lineup and assume different roles; he’s a high character player who brings leadership and experience; he can also be productive whether he’s playing 13 minutes/night, or 17 minutes.
Other Potential Fits for Free Agent Troy Brouwer:
Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers
Next: Vancouver Canucks End of Year Review, Grades
Between his time in Chicago, Washington, and St.Louis, free agent Troy Brouwer has managed to accumulate 294 points over 613 career NHL games. He also has 32 points in 98 playoff contests.
Look for Brouwer to be highly sought after this summer as teams look to add secondary depth scoring.