Updated: Mar 22
The Canucks backup goaltender Kevin Lankinen was handed a five year $4.5 million extension with Vancouver after a solid performance in the four nations faceoff, but what exactly does this extension tell us, and what does it mean for the fading future of Brock Boeser in Vancouver?
Boeser who currently has 35 points this season for the Canucks, and has been a solid 50 point scorer consistently for Vancouver ever since he joined in 2016. But with looming doubts about any possible extension with the Canucks, the recent Lankinen and O’Connor extensions have potentially already told us everything we needed to know regarding Boeser’s future in Vancouver.
With his contract expiring making him a UFA at the end of this season, Boeser currently has a $6.6 million cap hit in Vancouver, and will likely seek at least two to three million more a year in a long term contract had he want to stay in Vancouver due to the massive increase in salary cap starting from next season, and could see his value skyrocket with the new cap in place. With salaries increasing within the Canucks roster, Boeser is likely to be traded, with salaries increasing, and making himself the odd one out this off season. The 27 year old winger who still has a lot of talent left in the tank would definitely be a great asset to any team in the league, and with his current contract situation could be an extremely handy asset for some playoff teams with a lot of cap space.
Boeser finds himself in a tough spot after the Lankinen extension, but could maybe find himself in a better position than expected come the trade deadline. The Canucks have already been one of the busier teams in terms of trading so far this season, and moving a player like Boeser could make this crazy season even crazier for Vancouver. There are a number of different outcomes for the hotshot winger, but it's likely he's moved by March 7th. But where? The Canucks have the opportunity to go one of two ways, dealing Boeser to a playoff team like Tampa Bay who haven't got crazy amounts of cap space, but could definitely make it work as a short term addition to the team. Or the Canucks could deal him to a team lower down in the standings. A perfect example is Columbus. The Blue Jackets currently have one of the youngest teams in the league which comes with a very low cap hit, meaning a deal for a player like Boeser could be more than likely come March. It will be interesting to see where Boeser lands, or even if Vancouver decides to keep him for the remainder of the year, but Boeser will arguably be one of the biggest targets in the entire NHL come the trade deadline.
Comments