Things could be coming to a head in Vancouver, with Brock Boeser reportedly on the trade block. Should the LA Kings make a move for him?
Rumor season has come early this year.
Things have not been going well in Vancouver this season, with the Canucks off to a 6-11-2 start through the first 19 games. They are seventh in the Pacific Division, ahead of only the Seattle Kraken. In early October, the Canucks locked up two of their cornerstones in defenseman Quinn Hughes and forward Elias Pettersson, but it appears they could be headed for a divorce with one of their major point producers.
Brock Boeser’s name has recently resurfaced on the trade block.
Per Rob Simpson of Vancouver Hockey Now:Canucks General Manager Jim Benning suggested last week during his media availability that he would explore all options to get his team out of its funk, including trades. Apparently Boeser is at the top of that list according to multiple NHL management sources.
One player representative has indicated that Elias Pettersson wouldn’t be happy if Boeser were dealt. Oh my, the plot at the Canucks country club thickens.
The difficulty is the money being shelled out at the moment for Boeser’s non-production. He’s in the final year of a three-year deal that’s paying him $7.5-million in actual salary with a cap hit of $5.875-million. An RFA at season’s end, he’ll require a qualifying offer around the $6-million dollar mark. Apparently the Canucks don’t want to keep that responsibility, and it’s not necessarily about points.
Alrighty, then.
The 24-year-old is off to a slow start this year, tallying four goals and eight points in 16 games. He’s a year removed from a 49-point-in-56-games campaign and has tallied at least 45 points in each of the last four seasons. Boeser will become a restricted free agent at the end of the year, and he’ll get a slight increase from his current $5.9M AAV deal.
So, as this pertains to the LA Kings, you may have heard, but Todd McLellan’s team is still struggling to consistently score goals. I’m not saying the Kings should or will make this move, but it’s an interesting hypothetical to look at.
The Kings have no shortage of shot volume. They have the fourth-most shots per game this season (34.9) but are averaging just 2.56 goals per contest. As Zach Dooley recently noted, no team has played in more one-goal games than the Los Angeles Kings this season.
I’m not entirely sure what the Canucks would be looking for in return, but certainly, the Kings would have to move a winger off the current roster along with some package of prospect(s) and/or draft pick(s). With his proven finishing ability and his age, he’d be a great target for the Kings to give them a boost in the scoring department. Something to consider.
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