Boeser could leave Canucks for Oilers in free agency: report
The Edmonton Oilers might not be done eying up the Vancouver Canucks this offseason.
Just days after trading Evander Kane to the Canucks, a new rumour has surfaced around the Oilers potentially being a landing spot for Vancouver sniper Brock Boeser in free agency. It would be a bit ironic since the Canucks traded for Kane partially to help fill the hole created by Boeser’s departure.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added some fuel to this rumour, discussing it as a legitimate possibility on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast.
“Someone talked about Boeser potentially going [to Edmonton],” Friedman said. “I don’t know how Edmonton fits this all in, but I don’t think the idea is wrong.
“I don’t think it’s impossible that Boeser would consider Edmonton if they can make that work.”
The word on the street on the Minnesota native is that he is seeking a long-term deal with an annual cap hit in the neighbourhood of $8 million. It would be a steep price for the Oilers, who still have to sign Evan Bouchard to a big deal, but dumping Viktor Arvidsson’s $4-million cap hit in the coming days could help that along.
At the moment, Edmonton is currently sitting with $12.3 million in cap space after re-signing Trent Frederic. That would open up to $16.3 million if they can get out of Arvidsson’s deal.
Outside of the cap questions, there is no doubt that Boeser would fill a need for the Oilers. He is a shot-first goalscorer who could easily slot in beside either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl in the top six. Though he is coming off a so-so season, scoring 25 goals in 75 games, Boeser is one year removed from hitting the 40-goal mark in 2023-24.
It would certainly be an upgrade on both Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner, who both failed to produce despite high expectations last season.
There is no guarantee this comes to fruition, as Boeser is bound to have an array of teams vying for him on July 1, but the allure of an Oilers team with back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances has to be tempting.
We’ll have to wait and see how free agency shakes out.