The Vancouver Canucks entered the 4 Nations break as the second Wild Card in the Western Conference. This is certainly a disappointing placement, considering their expectations entering the year. Thanks to players such as Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and J.T. Miller, the Canucks won the Pacific Division in 2023-24 before adding multiple key players in NHL Free Agency. Vancouver believed it had done enough to take the next step.
Unfortunately, this has not worked out. A rift between Pettersson and Miller became public knowledge during the season. This led the Canucks to trade Miller to the New York Rangers at the end of January. Beyond this, players like Boeser have struggled in 2024-25 to recapture the production they turned in during last season.
Boeser is an interesting player. He was Vancouver's first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. At the time, he had a ton of potential as a future top-six scoring winger. And he has proven those draft projections correct. Boeser has scored 20+ goals on five occasions, including a 40-goal campaign for Vancouver last year.
Boeser has remained an effective offensive player in 2024-25, but he has struggled at times. Still, he is third in points for the Canucks with 35 in 48 games. As a pending free agent, however, his future in Vancouver may come to a premature end.
The Canucks have reportedly considered trading Boeser before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. It's a hard pill to swallow, especially when competing for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In any event, there is good reason the Canucks must trade Brock Boeser before the March 7th deadline.
Brock Boeser cannot leave Canucks for nothing
The Colorado Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in January. And in doing so, they made a rather bold decision. In their minds, it was more beneficial for them to trade an elite talent during a playoff push than keep him and potentially lose him in NHL Free Agency.
Whether that is the right decision certainly remains to be seen. The point is that the same sort of logic can apply to the Canucks. Boeser is not an elite talent by any means. But he is one of Vancouver's best offensive producers. He has consistently scored within the 40-60 point range and reached 73 points a year ago. Moreover, he is a free agent at the end of this season, like Rantanen.
This is a player who can make a major impact on the ice. Watching this player walk out the door in the summer for nothing is something Vancouver cannot allow. Of course, there is an avenue where the Canucks simply re-sign him themselves. But as March 7th draws closer, a trade becomes more and more possible.
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At this time, it does not appear as if Vancouver and Boeser are close on an extension. As a result, they should work the phones and make him available. It will be a hard trade to make, but one that could benefit them down the line.
Sellers market could yield high trade return
Part of the reason trading Boeser at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline makes sense is the state of the trade market. There are a lot of teams across the league who are firmly in contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There are three teams within seven points of the Canucks in the West. And in the East, there are seven teams all within six points of the Detroit Red Wings.
A few of these teams will throw in the towel before March 7th. However, NHL front offices can be rather bullish sometimes. If their team has a chance to make the dance, they'll go for it. As a result, we will see a ton of teams buying at the NHL Trade Deadline this year.
But this creates an issue for those buyers. Since so many teams want to add, a fewer amount of teams are trying to subtract. This creates a sellers market. Selling teams can hold onto their assets and stay firm on their prices. After all, where else will these contending teams go to fill their needs?
The Canucks aren't exactly a seller in the traditional sense. But what contending team wouldn't want to add a player like Boeser? Multiple teams are certain to call Vancouver about his availability. And this will allow the Canucks to star a bidding war.
This point is perhaps more important than simply trading Boeser. Vancouver can not only receive something for their former first-round pick, they can get a haul. He may only be signed through this season, and that does impact his value. But multiple pending free agents have been dealt for first-round picks. The Canucks may be able to get that and more if they make Boeser available before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
