With one week remaining until the start of NHL free agency, the rumour mill is in full swing.
Brock Boeser, the Vancouver Canucks' 23rd-overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, will be one of the top forwards available on July 1. He's a season removed from scoring 40 goals and proved he can perform in the playoffs, with 7 goals and 12 points in 12 games in the 2024 postseason, so he's arguably the third-best winger available after Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers.
, which would be a homecoming for the native of Burnsville, MN. While Boeser would fit Minnesota's need for more scoring help behind Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, what they're aiming for is a centre, so it's entirely possible that he could sign elsewhere, with several other teams expected to be interested.
The latest report is that , as general manager Don Sweeney has reportedly long been interested in the winger. That would be a gut-punch for Canucks fans, who still harbour ill feelings towards Boston.
But is there a chance that Boeser doesn't make it to July 1 at all?
The Canucks have been active in the trade market but have thus far been unable to acquire the top-six centre they desire. According to multiple reports, the Canucks , offering the Wild the 15th-overall pick and a player. The Wild declined the offer.
Meanwhile, Trevor Zegras is off the market, as the Anaheim Ducks traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick — a pretty palatable gamble by the Flyers, and one the Canucks could have easily afforded.
If the Canucks are unable to find the top-six forward they're looking for via trades, could they circle back on Boeser?
That may sound outlandish. After all, Boeser himself said that and his end-of-season press conference had a note of finality to it, as he talked about how Boeser felt disrespected by at the trade deadline, which certainly didn't help that relationship.
And yet, Allvin told season ticket holders at an event after the season, "We're going to see if there's a chance to keep Brock Boeser."
There are a couple of things in the Canucks' favour. Boeser likes Vancouver and has built deep friendships with many of the players still on the Canucks roster. Unlike many of the free agents out there, Boeser actually wants to be in Vancouver.
The question is, are the Canucks more willing to go long-term on a Boeser contract than they were earlier in the season, when they reportedly offered him a five-year deal with an $8 million cap hit.
predict a six-year deal with a cap hit of around $8.5 million, while Evolving-Hockey projects a seven-year deal with a cap hit of around $8.2 million. Would the Canucks be willing to get closer to those numbers to keep Boeser?
The problem for the Canucks when you look at their roster, is who is going to score goals? Jake DeBrusk led the Canucks with 28 goals last season, followed by Boeser and Pius Suter, who each scored 25 goals. Both Boeser and Suter are pending unrestricted free agents.
There's talk that the Canucks will re-sign Suter, but 25 goals was a career high on an 18.1% shooting percentage, so the odds of him scoring 25 again are low. Boeser, on the other hand, has scored at a 30-goal pace throughout his career, and has scored some of .
