Canucks offseason trade candidates: Brock Boeser

Jim Benning will need to get creative this summer if he wishes to improve the Vancouver Canucks blueline, but moving Brock Boeser might be how he does it.

Brock Boeser turned out to be an overnight sensation for the Vancouver Canucks. With his raw scoring talent mixed with his Prince Charming look and flow, he seems like an absolute lock as a core member of this franchise moving forward. Unfortunately, the NHL pause is more likely than not going to have some serious repercussions in terms of the team salary cap, and like it or not, moving out a star player like Boeser might be the way Benning has to go about his business.

As much as it pains Benning to consider moving such a talented player at such a young age, he knows it’s something he has to at least think about. When you look at the Canucks situation overall, if they want to stay competitive (and trust me, they do) there are a lot of players that are in need of extensions and there really won’t be much wealth to go around.

In goal, the assumed MVP Jacob Markstrom deserves a hefty raise and both himself and management know this team isn’t the same without him. He could command north of $6 million dollars annually. Half the team’s blueline is also on an expiring contract which includes UFA Chris Tanev and local workhorse, RFA Troy Stecher from Richmond, BC. Adam Gaudette and Jake Virtanen are also restricted and in need of new deals. Both exceeding expectations they’ll likely acquire a bigger raise in annual pay than originally expected.

Finally, there’s the newly acquired Tyler Toffoli and that’s where things get really interesting. When Boeser fell to injury, Benning gave up his fair share of assets to acquire Toffoli to fill the role and keep the playoff hopes alive. Toffoli did that and more completely exceeding expectations. In 10 games he registered 10 points (six goals and four assists) and had instant success with the team’s top line. Some may say that he actually did a better job filling that role than Boeser had done previously before him.

Benning is yet to see what this newly acquired right-wing depth can do in the playoffs and if he’s robbed of that opportunity and only gets 10 games out of Toffoli, then don’t you think he would want to re-sign his newest player? On top of that, Benning now knows what Toffoli is capable of. How can he walk away from that when he knows this is a great way to help shape the team’s overall look?

Having this scoring depth down the right side in the likes of Boeser, Toffoli, Virtanen and Josh Leivo makes the Canucks one of the strongest team’s at that position. With top-prospect and RW, Vasili Podkolzin on the horizon, someone’s going to have to go sooner or later.

The Canucks’ biggest problems still remain on the blueline and unfortunately, defenders are the most costly acquisitions when discussing a trade. If Benning wishes to obtain the top-four d-man this team so desperately needs, then he’s going to have to cough up an elite player in return.

If a core player has to go in order to improve this team overall, Boeser fits the scenario more than anyone else. But if Benning plays his cards right, this is the perfect way to complete the revamp of the Canucks blueline while also maintaining a very competitive and high-scoring top-nine forward group.