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Canucks Resistance to Sign Boeser Long-Term Means Trade Buzz
Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser is eligible for a new contract, but one person thinks it might be a bad idea to sign him long-term.
Vancouver Canucks management Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford have a tough decision to make this season and, heading into the off-season, what to do with forward Brock Boeser. A couple of former NHLers, turned analysts and sometimes-insiders brought up Boeser’s situation this week. In one case, it was reported, “Canucks management isn’t one to sit around and have been rather busy traders in recent seasons. Until an extension is signed, Boeser will be a trade candidate to watch this season.”
Boeser is a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the season as he is in the final year of his three-year contract, paying him $6.65 million on an AAV. Entering the season, Boeser told NHL.com before the season started that he wanted his contract situation to play out this season.
“I’ve got a lot to prove, just kind of dealing with that little setback. So, I’m just focused on having a great camp again like I did last year, and trying to have a fast start to this season again.”
Through 21 games, Boeser has 19 points (eight goals and 11 assists) as he is coming off a 40-goal season, but does that make him a 40-goal scorer? As ESPN Analyst and former NHLer Ray Ferraro told Donnie and Dhali The Team, he would hesitate to give Boeser an eight-year contract, especially since he will be 28 years old when the contract kicks in.
“So the deal would kick in at 28 That’s right. So I guess what I would be most concerned with and this is not specific to Brock, but to to any player that plays the game in the style that he does. He’s not fast. His game is hand-shot and positioning. It’s like you can say, oh, worry about the end of the contract later, but what if you’re worrying about four years of the contract?”
As Ferraro mentions in the interview, the biggest concern is paying a guy 40-goal scorer who has averaged 25 goals before that. But then the starting point for Brock Boeser will be eight years and $8 million, and that could put a lot for the Canucks to swallow. If they think it’s too rich for their blood, will they move on?
“The eight years concern me and, and I think it’s a legit complaint now, but if you’re Brock, like, if, like, somebody could say, well, why wouldn’t you take a shorter term, because you’re thinking that somebody’s got eight years out there for you. It’s all a balancing act of money, term, comfort, it, it’s a tough thing. I guess in a long way to answer the question, I guess, somewhat, is I’d be really, really concerned about the eight years that would more than anything, not the dollars, the years, or what concerns me.”
Meanwhile, Nick Kypreos echoed some of these concerns and noted in his first NHL Trade Bait Board article: “Boeser is looking for eight years, north of $8 million AAV range, and Vancouver isn’t yet prepared to pay him what his projected value is.”
Who is Boeser Comparable to in the NHL?
Boeser makes more than Zach Hyman, who makes $5.5 million on an AAV who scored 54 goals last year. With Travis Konecny signing a new deal with an AAV of $8.75 million, that could be where Boeser is looking for his starting point. Now, Boeser could gamble on a mid-term deal similar to Auston Matthews with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but there is a risk he could end up being like John Klingberg.
Remember, Klingberg had an eight-year deal on the table with the Dallas Stars and did not take it and then was forced to sign a one-year deal with Anaheim Ducks and then the Toronto Maple Leafs. After hip surgery, he has not resurfaced in the league. So, there is a risk and reward for not taking the deal from the table presented by the team.
But Allvin and Rutherford have a tough balancing act with Elias Pettersson making $11.5 million on AAV, J.T. Miller making $8 million on AAV, and Quinn Hughes making $8.850 million on an AAV, but is eligible for a new contract soon. Not to mention Thatcher Demko will need a new deal. Demko could get Jeremy Swayman, Jake Oettinger, and Linus Ullmark money at $8.5 million on AAV.
So the Canucks still have to field a team. As we have seen, giving your top players the most money is not always wise because of what is left for the rest of the roster. The Canucks will have a tough decision for the 23rd overall pick from the 2015 NHL Draft.
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