Predicted contract values for Boeser and other Vancouver Canucks pending UFAs
The Vancouver Canucks will enter free agency this summer, having to make tough decisions on a trio of players. Brock Boeser, Kevin Lankinen, and Pius Suter will all need new contracts and will likely be looking for raises.
Hockey consulting firm AFP Analytics has projected upcoming contracts for all pending free agents across the league, which gives us an idea as to how much the trio of Canucks will be looking for.
The projections are based upon a 2025-26 salary cap of $92.5 million. That would be a $4.5 million jump from this season, a number that may actually be too little after recent reports of hockey-related revenue greatly beating projections.
The Canucks are projected to have roughly $15 million in cap space this summer, although that can change quickly. A J.T. Miller trade, which feels like it’s coming, would drastically alter the team’s financial picture.
Noah Juulsen, Guillaume Brisebois, and Phil Di Giuseppe are all projected for one-year contracts at the league minimum of $775,000. While those negotiations shouldn’t take up too much of management’s time, three pending free agents will be looking for a raise.
Brock Boeser gets a sizeable raise
- AFP projection: $8.76 million for seven years
No free agent situation will command more attention from the Canucks than that of Brock Boeser. The scoring winger is the longest-tenured player on the team, a fan favourite, and has been playing his best hockey over the past 24 months.
The Minnesota native scored 40 goals last season before adding another seven in the postseason. It was the breakout year everyone had been waiting for as he produced like a bonafide star winger.
However, the magical season didn’t quell all concerns about Boeser’s game. His shooting percentage was through the roof, a sign that usually predicts regression to come. In addition, he missed time with a unique blood clotting issue which gave some pause as to how he could handle it moving forward.
So far this season, while he’s not on pace to score 40 goals, Boeser has done his best to answer those questions. He’s got 15 goals in 39 games and hasn’t missed a contest due to blood clots. Still, that may not be enough for the Canucks to re-sign him.
AFP has projected his next contract just shy of $9 million per season. That’s a big commitment for any team to make and the Canucks haven’t been overly enthusiastic about re-signing Boeser. By all reports, negotiations have been quiet and general manager Patrik Allvin said the Canucks are “still evaluating” Boeser and “anything can happen” when asked about the situation recently.
Pius Suter gets rewarded for versatility
- AFP projection: $3.8 million for four years
There are few better value contracts on the Canucks right now than Pius Suter. He’s making just $1.6 million per season, chips in goals, can play multiple positions, and is often used in a shutdown role.
The Canucks will need to significantly up their offer if they want to bring back the Swiss Army knife player, who’s on pace to score 20 goals this season for the first time.
AFP has his next contract projected at $3.8 million for four seasons. That would put him firmly in middle-six territory, a role he’s proven to be more than capable of during his Canucks tenure.
The question for the Canucks will be if they can find someone to give them 90% of Suter’s production at half the cost. The middle class is increasingly being squeezed out of the NHL as teams look for younger, cheaper alternatives that can give them most of the production.
Kevin Lankinen gives Canucks options in net
- AFP projection: $3.18 million for two years
Rewind 12 months and the Canucks goaltending department was in a position of organizational strength. Today, there are a ton of question marks in the crease, and there would be more if Kevin Lankinen hadn’t exploded onto the scene this season.
Lankinen, who the Canucks signed late in the summer, has been exceptional and has helped the team navigate Thatcher Demko’s shaky return to action. The Finnish netminder is one win away from tying his career-high and already has four shutouts.
With Demko continuing to struggle to find his form, the Canucks might want insurance at the goaltending position. That could come in the form of signing Lankinen to a multi-year contract at a number far above the $875,000 he’s making this season.
The Canucks will need to determine how much trust they have in Demko to carry a full-time starter’s load and be an All-Star once again. If they want insurance, Lankinen has proven he can fit the role.