The NHL trade deadline is now only a week away, and for the Vancouver Canucks, it is time for business.
Top forward Brock Boeser, a pending unrestricted free agent and former 40-goal scorer, is in need of a new contract. If a contract is not agreed upon, the Canucks run the risk of losing Boeser to free agency without acquiring anything in return - something they can very easily do ahead of the trade deadline.
At the same time, the Canucks are also in the middle of the race for a wildcard spot in the Western Conference; they have one point over the Calgary Flames for the second wildcard spot, but Calgary has a game in hand.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes the playoff race might be enough to force the Canucks to keep their 28-year-old sniper and offers which part of the contract negotiations might be holding things up.
"One thing about Vancouver: things go from 0-to-60 there in a hurry. J.T. Miller, no talks on an extension, got done in two days. Kevin Lankinen: one day. Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor: quickly after being acquired. What’s true today may not be true tomorrow," Friedman wrote in his latest "32 Thoughts" column.
"The Canucks prefer five years for Brock Boeser, which makes me think six is not impossible. But will that be enough? Boeser is a good human and a loyal Canuck, but it’s very, very hard to see everyone rewarded around you and wonder if your time will come. Tough business. The one thing I don’t see is Vancouver allowing itself to get worse in the middle of a playoff fight. It’s so hard for them to score, and they can’t afford to move Boeser without a replacement."
Friedman's read on the situation appears to be spot-on. Canucks management is dead-set on remaining competitive; they know that if they are not competitive, captain Quinn Hughes will leave the team when his contract expires - presumably to join brothers Jack and Luke on the New Jersey Devils.
One way the Canucks could replace Boeser is by bringing Jonathan Lekkerimäki up from the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL, but is the top Swedish prospect ready for that role in the NHL?
The 20-year-old winger has played 11 games for the Canucks this season, recording two goals, an assist, and three points while posting a minus-6 rating. Lekkerimäki has been uber-productive in the AHL, ripping off 18 goals, eight assists, and 26 points in just 30 games. It is also worth considering that this is the former 15th overall pick's first full season in North America, so he is still learning and adapting on the fly there.
In any case, Boeser and the Canucks are in for some hard negotiations over the next week. Last season's 40-goal outburst is Boeser's only NHL season with more than 29 goals. The Burnsville, Minn., native has also recorded 50 or more points twice in his last six seasons. For all Boeser's talents, the Canucks are weighing up paying up for a player who benefitted from a career-high 19.6% shooting percentage - something that burned them previously with Andrei Kuzmenko.