It's been a difficult 12 months for Brock Boeser.
The Vancouver Canucks forward lost his father, Duke, in May after a long battle with dementia and cancer. Boeser also found himself in trade rumors ahead of the deadline, and on the ice, the sniper has struggled to find the back of the net this season.
"Definitely, some mental stuff that I'm still working through on a personal level," he told The Province's Ben Kuzma. "I have a guy outside our team that I've been working with - kind of a life (coach) guy. With the things I've gone through and last year while still trying to play, it was really hard.
"From that aspect, I'm just trying to get back to my true self and being the hockey player I was before. And get back to that mindset of coming to the rink and getting better every day - scoring goals and having that confidence."
Boeser, a four-time 20-goal scorer, has found twine just 12 times in 57 games this season. His 0.21 goals per game is a career low, and his 9.8% shooting percentage is well below his career mark of 13.2% entering the season.
"I really felt that I've lost that over the last couple of years, just dealing with stuff, and I'm just trying to find that swagger," he said. "It's important to make sure you're good mentally."
Boeser admitted that seeing his name in the rumor mill affected his performance as well. He specifically reflected on one outing where the stress got the better of him.
"When it really affected me was right before that Dallas game (a 5-4 win on Feb. 27 against the Stars)," he said. "I had a terrible game (minus-2, no shots, 15:01 of ice time). I couldn't get dialed in, and that's when it affected me the most, and I was pretty stressed and really thought about it."
Boeser added that it was a big "sigh of relief" when he knew he'd be staying put in Vancouver. He's in the first season of a three-year deal with a $6.65-million cap hit. He can become a free agent in 2025.
The Canucks selected Boeser 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He was the Calder Trophy runner-up in 2017-18 after tallying a career-high 29 goals in 62 games.