Vancouver Canucks: Latest on Brock Boeser’s contract situation
By Alex Hoegler
As training camp nears, the Vancouver Canucks have yet to reach a deal with RFA Brock Boeser. Here’s the latest on his contract situation.
Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning had accomplished most of his offseason tasks by mid-July, but the inability to extend RFA Brock Boeser up to this point is starting to cause some concern on the west coast.
The 22-year-old Boeser is coming off a strong sophomore year in which he tallied 26 goals and 56 points. He’s an instrumental part of Vancouver’s future, but the Canucks are right up against the cap, which complicates contract negotiations.
Well, the latest news on the Boeser front isn’t exactly encouraging. In his latest 31 Thoughts column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that contract talks have seen both “times of optimism” and “times of pessimism.”
Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet 650 reported that the two sides “are not close to a deal.” The Canucks’ cap woes aren’t helping matters, and the signs of a resolution aren’t there.
As I have been saying on radio all week, the #Canucks and Brock Boeser are not close to a deal. No way Boeser will be at camp Friday with the gap so big. Agent and GM need to lock themselves in a room and get this done.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) September 10, 2019
The #Canucks cap issues are causing problems, the Boeser camp knows they can not get long term deal, they are willing to do a short term deal (even 1-2 years) but the gap remains even on that. Things can change quick but it does not look good right now.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) September 10, 2019
Boeser is one of the many star RFAs that remains unsigned. The class also includes Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, Matthew Tkachuk, Patrik Laine, Mikko Rantanen, Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. So at least Benning isn’t alone here.
Reigning Calder Trophy winner Elias Pettersson and 2018 first round pick Quinn Hughes each have two years left on their entry-level deals. Both will be due for big raises in the 2021 offseason, so Benning and the Canucks are likely keeping this in mind as they work on a deal with Boeser.
Ideally, the Canucks and Boeser will be able to find middle ground and work out a two or three-year pact. Loui Eriksson (three years left) and Brandon Sutter (two years remaining) will be off the books, and the Canucks should be able to award Boeser a more lucrative teal with a seven or eight-year term around then.
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The Canucks expect to compete for a playoff spot in 2019-20, and their chances will take a huge hit if Boeser misses part of the season because of the contract situation. Hopefully the two sides can reach a deal before the regular season begins on Oct. 2.