Rumors continue to swirl around the league with the NHL trade deadline just days away on Friday, March 7th, at 3:00 pm ET. One of the latest big names drawing a lot of attention is Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser.
Boeser, 28, is having a so-so season with the Canucks, but the scoring winger proved just a year ago that he still has 40 goal potential in the right situation. He's recorded 18 goals and 36 points over 53 games this season. This after a 40-goal, 73-point campaign a year ago. Boeser has a Corsi For Percentage of 49.7 this year and a Relative Corsi For Percentage of 1.1 during even strength situations while averaging just under 18 minutes per game. Seven of Boeser's 18 goals have come on the power play. Boeser's 17.3% shooting percentage is the second-best of his career, slightly behind the 19.6% he produced last season.
Vancouver has quickly become one of the more complicated organizations in the league. Word had it that a locker room rift between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson led to Miller's dismissal. The Canucks sent Miller back to the New York Rangers where he's pretty familiar having played five-plus seasons to begin his successful career. Since the deal (as of Monday), Miller had recorded 14 points in his first eleven games back in the Big Apple, while Pettersson had recorded just eight shots on goal over the same time.
The Canucks are no strangers to making a big trade, two years ago they moved their captain Bo Horvat after failing to come to terms on a contract extension. Now, Vancouver needs to decide on another one of their top players.
Boeser is a pending unrestricted free agent following this season and is expected to be among the top rentals available on the trade market. TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger recently reported that Boeser had a contract offer earlier this season, but it is no longer on the table. The Canucks are exploring their options which also includes riding this year out and keeping Boeser as their own rental player. The Canucks currently sit just on the outside of the playoff picture tied with the Calgary Flames with 65 points, and have one more win than Vancouver. The Canucks recently completed a five game road trip that saw them skid to a 1-4-0 record which may further prompt Vancouver's leadership in Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin to be active ahead of the deadline.
Exploring potential trade destinations for Vancouver forward Brock Boeser
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a team to watch when it comes to adding a player like Brock Boeser. That inclination became a bit more intensified on Monday night when Devils' star forward, Jack Hughes, laboured off the ice, clutching his arm/shoulder after crashing into the end boards after being tangled with Jack Eichel on Monday night late in the third period. Puck Pedia says the Devils have $4.5 million in deadline cap space.
The severity of Hughes's injury is uncertain, but further testing will take place over the next 24 hours. TSN insider Darren Dreger recently mentioned that Hughes might require surgery, but that is still undetermined. If that is the case, adding a player like Boeser should become a priority. Hughes, 23, leads the Devils with 27 goals and 70 points on the season. If Hughes is placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve with an injury, it will create additional cap space ahead of Friday's deadline.
As it stands, the Devils have three 20-plus goal scorers and may have lost their top point producer. Boeser would slot in New Jersey's top-six, and his 18 goals in the season would rank him fourth on the Devils.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun recently mentioned that New Jersey is expected to poke around on the trade market. LeBrun recently mentioned, "They've (New Jersey) already called Carolina, for example, and said, 'Hey, if you're doing something with Rantanen by Friday in terms of flipping him, let us know.' I'm not sure Carolina wants to deal him to a team that they might play in the first round, but it's an example, I think, of the eagerness and the way New Jersey may approach this deadline over the next three days."
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs would love to add a top-six scoring forward like Boeser as they are looking to finally get over the hump and enjoy a long postseason run. It is hard to suggest that Toronto's window is closing while they employ Auston Matthews, but this summer, the Leafs will face a variety of challenges. Star forward Mitch Marner is a pending free agent and will be looking to cash in on a long-term deal with a significant wage increase. John Tavares is also set to become a free agent at season's end.
Leafs general manager Brad Treliving recently mentioned that the Leafs will be looking to better their roster before Friday's deadline. “I like our team,” Treliving said. “I’d like to see if we can make it better by Friday.” “Are there players out there that can make a difference and move the needle?” Treliving rhetorically asked a scrum of reporters.
“Sometimes, moving the needle is small. Maybe it’s not the sexy, headline-grabbing move, but where are areas that you can shore up? And ultimately, what’s available? What’s the cost and how does it all fit in?”
A right-handed sniper, Boeser will only enhance Toronto's already lethal power play. One thing Boeser doesn't solve for the Leafs is their need for a center, but Boeser's production and overall talent may be just too good to pass up. The Leafs are also looking to bolster their backend by adding a defender.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will need to do some creative cap navigating to add Boeser. Toronto sits with a mere $101,562 of deadline space.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are reeling a bit of late having lost three in a row. Steve Yzerman made a head coaching change during the holiday freeze this past December and since appointing Todd McLellan as the head coach. Since the change, the Red Wings have been one of the top teams in the league.
McLellan's Red Wings are a fringe playoff team but could use a boost up front since losing second-line center Andrew Copp to injury for the remainder of the season. Again, the Red Wings would benefit greatly from adding a second line center, but there is plenty of roster flexibility in Detroit. Rookie Marco Kasper is a natural center but playing on the top line as a winger alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. Adding a player like Boeser to Detroit's top-six would allow the Red Wings to slide Kasper back in as their second line center.
Raymond has the ability to play either wing, so adding someone like Boeser to the top line only enhances Detroit's hypothetical second unit of Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat and Kasper. Detroit also has a variety of depth centers or players that can play the position including Michael Rasmussen, J.T. Compher, Joe Veleno, Christian Fischer and even Tyler Motte a time or two.
The Red Wings project to have over $13 million in deadline cap space, so adding a player like Boeser financially won't be an issue, but Yzerman has been reluctant to trade away future assets for a rental during his time with the Red Wings. Rightfully so, the Red Wings haven't qualified for the postseason for eight straight seasons. Yzerman and the Red Wings are projected to have about $25 million in cap space heading into the off-season, with much of their current roster under contract aside from Patrick Kane and backup goalie Alex Lyon. Some key pending restricted free agents are Albert Johansson, Jonatan Berggren, and Elmer Soderblom.
Again, Yzerman typically likes to add players with term at the deadline. Still, if he feels like Boeser can be part of Detroit's future moving forward and sees a path to re-sign him this summer, it's a deal that may benefit the Red Wings in the next few years, as they are not quite ready to compete for a championship just yet. Adding Boeser won't come cheap, but the Red Wings have many assets and draft capital to complete a deal.