The NHL trade deadline is just a handful of days away now, and the Vancouver Canucks and Brock Boeser have yet to hammer out some meaningful progress towards a contract extension.
And, at this point, it would be hard to make progress on a potential contract extension when there is no longer a baseline offer on the table to work with.
According to TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger, the Canucks have pulled the offer they made Boeser and his camp earlier in the season, with a trade to another team in the next few days becoming a serious possibility.
"The Canucks continue to consider all options with Brock Boeser," Dreger posted on his X account Monday morning. "Vancouver did make an extension offer in the first half of the season, but it’s not believed to be on the table any longer. Obviously, trade possibilities are being explored."
The Canucks continue to consider all options with Brock Boeser. Vancouver did make an extension offer in the first half of the season, but it’s not believed to be on the table any longer. Obviously, trade possibilities are being explored.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 3, 2025
It has been repeatedly reported that Canucks management is prioritizing a run at the playoffs, and trading away Boeser without getting a strong roster player in return makes that objective that much more difficult.
Note that the Canucks, who are 27-22-11, are ninth in the Western Conference with 65 points and are currently out of the second wildcard spot due to the Calgary Flames owning the regulation wins tiebreaker.
Boeser, 28, has one year remaining on the three-year, $19.95 million contract he signed with the Canucks on July 1, 2022 at a $6.65 million cap hit and is a pending unrestricted free agent. The Burnsville, Minn., native exploded for a career-high 40 goals and 73 points last season, but hadn't reached 60 or more points in any of his prior seasons in the NHL.
Boeser has 18 goals, 18 assists, and 36 points in 53 games with this low-octane Canucks team, so Vancouver may not be the only team driving a hard bargain on a potential contract. It makes for an interesting situation with things destined to heat up ahead of Friday's trade deadline.