The Canuck Way
Fansided

Canucks News: Signing Brock Boeser, Officially Tanking

By Janik Beichler

Apr 7, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; North Dakota Fighting Hawks forward Brock Boeser (16) celebrates after they score an empty net goal against the Denver Pioneers during the third period at the semifinals of the 2016 Frozen Four college ice hockey tournament at Amalie Arena. North Dakota Fighting Hawks defeated the Denver Pioneers 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; North Dakota Fighting Hawks forward Brock Boeser (16) celebrates after they score an empty net goal against the Denver Pioneers during the third period at the semifinals of the 2016 Frozen Four college ice hockey tournament at Amalie Arena. North Dakota Fighting Hawks defeated the Denver Pioneers 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Vancouver Canucks’ season is lost, which means two things: the club is officially starting to tank and it’s time to sign prospect forward Brock Boeser.

It took a while, but the Vancouver Canucks have officially accepted their fate. Club GM Jim Benning wants his head coach, Willie Desjardins, to hand out plenty of ice time to the kids. So, Desjardins is forced to play with what he believes to be an inferior lineup.

From a fan perspective, on the other hand, this is great news. Players like Reid Boucher and Nikolay Goldobin — once he rejoins the lineup — could play in the top six and on the power play instead of the bottom lines.

Speaking of kids, there really aren’t many reasons why the Canucks should wait until the summer to sign top prospect Brock Boeser.

Signing Boeser

Graphic Comments (Canucks Army) — Is Brock Boeser the light at the end of the tunnel?

"This is by far the most restrictive non-contract status in the CBA. Not only do they not have Arbitration rights, they are not eligible for Offer Sheets from other teams. So in effect, they aren’t even “restricted” free agents. The team that owns their rights is the only team allowed to negotiate a new contract with them, provided they have tendered a Qualifying Offer. The only recourse left to the player in this situation is to hold out."

When you first read “burn the first year of his entry-level contract”, you may be inclined to disagree. But there are valid reasons why signing Boeser before the end of the season would be an outstanding move.

By burning the first year of Boeser’s contract, the Canucks would spend additional money for totally meaningless games. Boeser could be somewhat rushed into the league straight out of college, which can turn out to be bad for prospects long-term. But this is all about financial benefits and leverage two years down the road.

More from The Canuck Way

As explained on Canucks Army, signing Boeser and letting him play in at least one but fewer than 10 professional games could be greatly beneficial.

First of all, Boeser’s second contract would likely be cheaper after two years than it could be after three years of professional experience. For the sake of this argument, let’s just assume Boeser scores 30 points in his first NHL year, 40 in his second and 55 in his third. There is no doubt that a 55-point scorer would get a bigger contract than one who scored 40 in his best season.

Furthermore, players who have just two years of professional experience at the end of their entry-level deal are not allowed to negotiate with other clubs or sign offer sheets. Another big reason why Vancouver should get this done as soon as possible.

Of course, there are no guarantees for Boeser’s third season to be better than his second or for Boeser wanting to sign an offer sheet at the end of his ELC. Yet, signing him now would be a smart move to be on the safe side.

Officially Tanking

Iain MacIntyre (Vancouver Sun) — ‘Reality has set in’ as Benning says Canucks will give kids more ice

"Asked after his team was steamrolled by the Boston Bruins if his players had given up, Vancouver Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said late Monday: “No, I didn’t see a team that was giving up. I didn’t see that. But I didn’t see us obsessed with winning, either.”The Canucks need to be obsessed about something. And 12 points out of a National Hockey League playoff spot with 13 games remaining, they should be preoccupied with assessing the many young players they have auditioning for next season’s lineup."

As I have pointed out in previous posts, Desjardins may be on board for the rebuild, but he is still willing to win games. No coach likes to lose, and Desjardins’ job depends on the success he can have with this team.

While most fans and writers disagree, Desjardins seems convinced that young players like Boucher and Goldobin are not ready to lead this team. So, in an attempt to win games, he rather gives ice time to players like Jayson Megna, his personal favourite.

Desjardins is the head coach, and if he believes he is making the right choices, that is fine. I’m okay with it, anyway.

Jim Benning, however, does not seem ‘okay with it’. Like most fans, Benning wants to see the youngsters getting more ice time.

Moving forward, that is certainly the way to go, but it is also, in a way, the definition of tanking.

Next: Canucks Must Re-Sign Reid Boucher

Instead of icing what he believes to be the strongest lineup, Desjardins is now required to give the young guns bigger roles. Assuming Desjardins has been making the right choices, that will result in even more losses than the Canucks have suffered in the recent past.

In other words, the Canucks will be tanking.

Home/Canucks News