Boeser stays put on quiet trade deadline day for Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks had an uneventful trade deadline day.
After weeks of rumours involving Brock Boeser, Pius Suter, and even Elias Pettersson, the Canucks ended up making zero trades on the actual deadline day. They’re officially done and have nothing in the trade queue, as first reported by The Athletic’s Thomas Drance.
The Canucks made one move yesterday, trading Carson Soucy to the New York Rangers for a third-round pick. That was the extent of their dealings during this year’s deadline season.
This means the Canucks keep pending unrestricted free agents like Boeser, Suter, and Derek Forbort on their roster. If they don’t agree on an extension with these players before July 1, they’ll risk losing them for nothing in free agency.
Boeser is the biggest name on that list, as extensive contract discussions haven’t led to a new deal. The Canucks and Boeser have been unable to agree on the term of his next contract. The club proposed a five-year, $40 million deal, which was rejected because Boeser was looking for a longer contract.
The two sides resumed discussing the extension today, per The Athletic’s Michael Russo. However, the deal is still not close to being completed, per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal. Boeser has 18 goals and 37 points in 54 games this season, after scoring 40 times last year.
It was a seller’s market around the league, as players fetched outsized returns. Bottom-of-the-lineup players were being traded for solid draft picks. Despite that, the Canucks couldn’t find a deal they liked for any of their players.
It was thought that Boeser would’ve been able to return a high pick, and potentially more, in a deadline deal. However, no deal ever materialized for the Canucks.
The upside of holding onto their pending free agents is that the Canucks keep their roster intact for their playoff race. They’re one point outside the playoff picture, behind the Calgary Flames, although they’re in if you go by points percentage. With 21 games left for the Canucks, it’ll surely be a tight race to the finish line.