Still without a contract and less than three months away from hitting unrestricted free agency, Canucks star Brock Boeser has admitted his time in Vancouver is likely coming to an end.
Boeser, 28, is in the final year of the three-year, $19.95 million contract he signed with the Canucks on July 1, 2022, which was the opening day of free agency that year.
The then-25-year-old envisioned a long and productive future in Vancouver, but, to this point, the Canucks have been unwilling to meet his and his camp's demands on a new contract.
The former 40-goal-scorer was reportedly offered a five-year, $40 million contract at some point in the past, but it has been unclear to this point whether the issue is money, term, or both.
Although Boeser hadn't scored 30 goals in an NHL season before last year, it is rare for any player with a 40-goal season on their resume to hit the open market. Ironically, former Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko, who scored 38 goals two seasons ago, is approaching free agency himself.
Regardless, Boeser has seemingly come to terms with the possibility of leaving Vancouver, although it sounds like the Burnsville, Minn., native is still not overly receptive to the idea.
"Honestly, [a return is] unlikely at this point," Boeser told Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet in a recent interview. "It sucks. It's unfortunate. I'm just trying to play good hockey and then I'll worry about everything after that. We all know it's been a rollercoaster of a year."
Boeser has quietly gotten up to 25 goals, 24 assists, and 49 points in 72 games this season, with potentially the final three of his Canucks career upcoming.
If this is it for Boeser in a Canucks uniform, he'll finish his career in Vancouver eighth all-time in goals, as he has 204 and trails Henrik Sedin by 36, 18th or 19th in assists (has 229, trails Mattias Ohlund by three), and 12th or 11th in points (has 433, trails J.T. Miller by four).
Notably, the Canucks failed to trade Boeser at the since-past 2025 NHL trade deadline, which means, obviously, that they run a high risk of losing the sharpshooter for free on July 1.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin previously claimed "you would not believe" what was offered to him for Boeser at the deadline, but at this point, something was better than nothing.
With the way things have gone with Boeser, perhaps the Canucks deserved nothing anyway.