Canucks Want Top-6 Scorer, Is Brock Boeser’s Done in Vancouver?

The Vancouver Canucks have been one of the more active teams before the Four Nations Faceoff and the NHL Trade Deadline. First, Vancouver traded J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers. Then the Canucks acquired Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor from Pittsburgh. Vancouver is not done, as they want to add a top-six scoring winger, but don’t they already have one in Brock Boeser?

Boeser is in the final year of the three-year deal he signed back on July 1, 2022, that pays him $6.65 million per season. When Boeser signed it at the time, it was a little surprising. However, entering the season, the Canucks and Boeser were taking a wait-and-see approach when it came to contract negotiations.

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Boeser knew that it was a prove-it year for him. Last season was the first year he hit the 40-goal mark in his career. However, Boeser could not finish Round 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. At the time, he was the leading scorer and point-getter for the Canucks, but he got blood clots after Game 6 of the series with the Edmonton Oilers.

It has been a down year for not only Brock Boeser but the Vancouver Canucks. Boeser just got his 17th goal of the season in a 3-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche. But the drama involving Miller and Elias Pettersson really affected his game. However, the entire Canucks offense is slumping.

That is why they are looking around to add a top-six-scoring winger. President Jim Rutherford and General Manager Patrik Allvin accomplished their mission of getting a top-four defenseman in Marcus Pettersson. The deal would look better if they could extend him. But even with the additions of Filip Chytil and Drew O’Connor, Canucks management wants another player that can grow with the team.

What the Canucks Are Looking for in Trade

Satiar Shah, Canucks Central and Game Day Host on Sportsnet wrote that the Canucks want a player in their mid-20s that is controllable and can grow with the team.

Canucks now focused on acquiring an impact forward. Preference is a player in the mid 20s age range that can grow with the core. The main asset they now have is cap space to take on a contract plus their own assets they didn’t have to use to acquire a top 4D. Act three awaits.

The NHL and NHLPA announced the salary cap will be rising over the next three seasons, going from $95 million to $113 million in year three. That means the Canucks can add, but it also means Boeser will get a raise from what he is currently making. Which means the Canucks might have to pay Brock Boeser in the $8 million to $9 million range.

This is where the dilemma is for the Canucks. As the trade deadline approaches, Vancouver wants to remain competitive and in the mix for the playoffs. But they also are looking to the future. If management feels they can get something for Boeser and get younger, they will move him. However, if the Canucks feel they can make the playoffs and pass the Calgary Flames, they will keep him.

Both sides continue to play the negotiations slowly. When Allvin met with the media, he stated that they were still looking at everything involving Boeser and that the club would make the right decision when the time was right.

Allvin said during his midseason press conference:

“We’re still evaluating him. I have a great relationship with his agent, and when the time is right, we’ll make the decision. There’s two sides of it too. It’s got to work for both sides long term. Anything can happen here, I guess, any day.”

Earlier in the season, on an edition of After Hours on Hockey Night in Canada, Rutherford had similar things to say about Boeser and the Canucks. When asked about potentially moving Boeser if no extension is in place, Rutherford stated they will deal with it when the time comes as they are evaluating everything and keeping a close eye on the situation.

It will really come down to whether management wants to pay Brock Boeser that kind of money over a long-term deal for being just a guy who can score 25 goals a season.

So if the Canucks do make a trade for a younger player that can do the same things as Boeser, then he is not going to be brought back and will hit the market on July 1.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup: Oilers, Jets & Canucks