Welcome Matt: Canucks face major decision on potential Boeser trade

The Vancouver Canucks have quite the conundrum on their hands when it comes to figuring out what to do with Brock Boeser.

Boeser’s agent has been trying to find a new home for his client for more than one month now, and there may well be movement on that front.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reporting that teams are “giving [Boeser] more thought,” including the winger’s home state Minnesota Wild, who remain doubtful a deal can be worked out because of salary cap constraints.

Agent Ben Hankinson reportedly spoke to six teams when Boeser first hit the block in December, with many interested only if the Canucks could eat salary.

It’s now starting to get real for Canucks management and ownership. The team is 10 points out of a playoff spot, and decision-makers must make a call on whether they plan to eat salary or take lesser return (if any return?) on players with cumbersome contracts.

Boeser, who turns 26 next month, has two more years on his deal and is owed $13.3 million (all figures U.S.) with an average annual value of $6.65 million. It’s not an easy fit in this cap-tight environment, even if Boeser has played better of late with eight points in his last nine games.

The Canucks don’t really want to be responsible for a portion of Boeser’s salary over the next two seasons, unless they commit to a full rebuild and there’s no evidence of that.

That means they will likely have to take some bad money back, or accept very little return for a player who was once considered a cornerstone.

I suspect this management group, who re-signed Boeser but didn’t draft him nor sign him to that poison-pill bridge deal, can cross that bridge.

We’ll see if ownership allows it.

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