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Mark Zaleski/Associated Press
After struggling through the opening two months of this season, the Vancouver Canucks cleaned house behind the bench and in the front office.
While the club has climbed back into the Western Conference playoff race—it is three spots and five points out of the final wild-card spot—the hiring of Jim Rutherford as president of hockey operations and Patrik Allvin as general manager has sparked trade speculation in recent weeks.
Most of the conjecture focused on J.T. Miller, so much so that the 28-year-old center was among the top 10 on B/R’s February NHL Trade Block Big Board. However, the Canucks’ new management could be reluctant to part with their leading scorer while still in the postseason chase. They are also not under any pressure to move him at the March 21 trade deadline given he’s signed through 2022-23.
While the possibility of a Miller deadline trade could be fading, teammate Brock Boeser has emerged as a more likely candidate. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli placed the 24-year-old winger at No. 6 on his recent list of NHL trade targets.
Boeser is a skillful offensive player who’s exceeded the 20-goal plateau three times in the past four seasons despite being hampered by injuries during his young NHL career. With 15 goals in 44 games, he should surpass 20 goals again this term and could reach 30 for the first time. Since his full-time NHL debut in 2017-18, he leads the Canucks with 109 total goals, 124 assists and 233 points.
The reason Boeser has surfaced in trade chatter is his expiring contract. CapFriendly indicates he’s a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights. While his cap hit is $5.875 million, he’s earning $7.5 million in actual salary this season. On Nov. 24, The Athletic’s Thomas Drance explained that the Canucks must make him a qualifying offer for that amount to retain his rights.
Seravalli wrote that Rutherford has consistently stressed the need to create salary-cap flexibility. With the Canucks having $70.6 million invested in 15 players for 2022-23, signing Boeser to a new deal would leave little money with which to fill out the remainder of the roster—commissioner Gary Bettman announced in December that next season’s salary cap could be $82.5 million. If they don’t move him at the trade deadline, they could shop him during the offseason.
This season could be Boeser’s last in Vancouver unless the Canucks convince him to accept less than $7.5 million annually or they free up cap space by moving out one or two other players. But if he hits the trade block, here’s a look at five potential landing spots and the type of return he could fetch. Feel free to weigh in with your views on this topic in the comments section.
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Alex Gallardo/Associated Press
The Canucks would likely prefer to trade Boeser to an Eastern Conference club, but that might not be easy because of the needs of certain clubs and available cap space. That could force them to consider trade partners within their own conference—and perhaps even in their own division. The Anaheim Ducks could become a trade partner if the need to move Boeser becomes pressing by this summer.
Boeser could prove to be a good fit with the rebuilding Ducks. Twenty-five goal man Troy Terry, 24, is enjoying a career-best season, but the Ducks could use another scoring right winger, especially if Rickard Rakell tests the free-agent market this summer. Jakob Silfverberg, 31, is past his prime and no longer capable of logging reliable top-six minutes.
With $48.8 million in projected cap space for 2022-23, the Ducks could afford to sign Boeser to a lucrative long-term deal. The 24-year-old would fit well within their plans to build with young talent, perhaps lining up alongside rising star Trevor Zegras on their top line.
The Canucks’ need for cap flexibility could work to the Ducks’ advantage here. They could offer up their 2022 first-rounder because it probably won’t be high in the draft order given their position in the standings. They won’t part with young defenseman Jamie Drysdale or prospects such as Mason McTavish or Jacob Perreault, but perhaps they would be willing to include winger Max Comtois in the deal.
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Chris O’Meara/Associated Press
The New Jersey Devils possess two high-caliber centers in Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes but lack an elite winger to play on one of their lines. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli wondered whether Boeser could be a fit here.
With a 2.90 goals-per-game, the Devils’ production has improved over last season’s 26th overall finish of 2.59. Still, this rebuilding club needs more scoring punch if it hopes to start competing for a playoff berth following this season.
Boeser would fill that need for the Devils at right wing. He could skate on the top line with Hughes, allowing them to drop Dawson Mercer to their second line and Tomas Tatar down to the third line or perhaps shift him over to left wing on the second line. With $58 million invested in 13 players for 2022-23, they have sufficient cap space to sign Boeser to a lucrative deal.
The Devils could package Pavel Zacha with a draft pick or a prospect as part of the return for Boeser. On Feb. 12, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reported that the Canucks have an interest in Zacha, who’s also an impending RFA with arbitration rights. Coming off a three-year deal with an annual cap hit of $2.25 million and $3 million in actual salary this season, he would be a more affordable signing for the Canucks.
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Adrian Kraus/Associated Press
After reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and the Stanley Cup Semifinals last year, this season has been a disappointment for the New York Islanders. Sitting 17 points out of a wild-card berth, they need a miracle to reach the playoffs this season. Their performance this season could prompt general manager Lou Lamoriello to shake things up at the trade deadline or in the offseason.
Addressing his club’s anemic offense could be among Lamoriello’s priorities. That’s been an ongoing issue despite the Islanders’ success over the past two seasons. Since 2019-20, their goals-per-game average of 2.67 ranks 25th overall.
Acquiring Boeser either at the trade deadline or in the offseason could provide an invaluable boost to the Isles offense. He could slot in on the first line alongside Mathew Barzal, providing the 24-year-old with a winger of comparable age and skill.
New York has $67.7 million invested in 15 players for 2022-23, leaving enough room to hand Boeser a significant raise on a long-term deal. However, it could also mean needing to shed some salary to ensure there’s sufficient space for other moves or signings. Given the Canucks’ need for cap flexibility, perhaps offering up 24-year-old winger Anthony Beauvillier and a draft pick or a prospect might get the deal done.
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John Munson/Associated Press
It seems the New York Rangers are linked to several notable forwards in this season’s NHL rumor mill, be it the Vegas Golden Knights’ Reilly Smith, Arizona Coyotes’ Phil Kessel, Boston Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk or Boeser’s teammate J.T. Miller. That’s because they have a pressing need for a scoring right winger among their top six.
Promising young forwards Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko have yet to blossom into scoring stars, and the latter is sidelined at least until mid-March with an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, offseason acquisition Sammy Blais is out for the season following knee surgery in November.
Boeser would address that need. He could fit in well on the first line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider or the second line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. His addition would provide the Rangers with a substantial boost that could put them squarely among this season’s Stanley Cup contenders. He’s also young enough to be part of their core for the next several seasons.
With $31.9 million in projected trade deadline cap space and a well-stocked prospect pipeline, the Rangers can afford to make a competitive bid for Boeser. Perhaps an offer of their first-round pick in 2022 and a promising young player such as Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov or Filip Chytil might do the trick.
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Jeff Roberson/Associated Press
Jockeying for second place in the Central Division with the Minnesota Wild, the St. Louis Blues aren’t likely to pursue a deal for Boeser this season. However, they could be in the market for someone like him if Vladimir Tarasenko doesn’t rescind the trade request he made last summer.
The Canucks won’t be interested in taking on Tarasenko’s $7.5 million cap hit, and he would probably use his no-trade clause to nix a deal to Vancouver in favor of a more contention-ready team. Should Blues general manager Doug Armstrong honor the winger’s request and ship him elsewhere this summer, perhaps he will look to Boeser as a potential replacement.
Moving out Tarasenko would free up sufficient space to sign Boeser to a similar cap hit on a long-term deal, provided they take back little or no salary in the deal. It would still leave them with around $72.9 million invested in 16 players for 2022-23 with their core players under contract.
Armstrong could be reluctant to part with his first-round pick in this year’s draft, but perhaps he would give up his second in 2023 and one of his two fourth-rounders in this year’s draft. He could also offer up young winger Klim Kostin or defenseman Scott Perunovich or prospect winger Simon Robertsson in the return.
Stats (as of Feb. 20, 2022) via NHL.com. Salary info via CapFriendly.
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