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Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

5 Potential Trade Destinations for Canucks’ Brock Boeser

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Matthew Zator | Last updated Mar 3, 2025 11:20 AM ET

Will the Vancouver Canucks trade Brock Boeser? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind heading into the trade deadline on March 7. They will be battling for a playoff spot for the rest of the season, so deciding to deal arguably their most potent goalscorer could be a recipe for disaster, unless they get a tangible roster player in return. That’s unlikely to happen, though, as teams interested in the Canucks’ ninth all-time goalscorer won’t want to be giving up impact forwards in a potential package, unless it’s a contract they want to get rid of.

Unfortunately, it seems the Canucks are at a crossroads with Boeser contract-wise, as they don’t appear to want to give him the money and, more importantly, term, on his next deal. His recent comments in an interview with Sportsnet’s Ian MacIntyre don’t inspire confidence that something will get done in the foreseeable future, and that a trade could be on the horizon.

“I mean, I understand it’s a business. I feel like I’m a pretty loyal guy, and I feel like that should speak for itself. But it’s a business, and that’s just how things operate. We all know the three options that could happen (before the deadline): trade, re-sign or neither. If nothing happens and July 1 comes around, I still think I’m in a good spot (as a UFA). But I’ve talked to you and definitely been open about, you know, how much I love it in Vancouver. So, yeah, it’s actually frustrating that nothing’s got done.”

So, with that all said, here are five teams that Boeser could be headed to before the clock strikes 3 pm ET on Friday.

Minnesota Wild

This one is the most obvious since Boeser was born and raised in Burnsville, Minnesota, and the Wild have always been a potential destination whenever his name has been in the rumour mill. The Wild are currently in a dogfight in the Central Division, two points up on the Colorado Avalanche and four back of the Dallas Stars for second place, and have struggled without the services of their top sniper and MVP, Kirill Kaprizov, since he had surgery in January. It makes sense that they would be looking for help in their forward corps without him, and Boeser would complement the likes of Matt Boldy, Ryan Hartman, and Mats Zuccarello on the wings.

What Could the Canucks Get in Return?

Surprisingly, despite being a playoff team for most of the last decade or so, the Wild have a solid prospect pool to draw from for trades like this. The Canucks could be interested in Liam Ohgren, a former linemate of Jonathan Lekkerimaki’s from his days in Djurgardens and Sweden’s U18 World Championship and World Junior teams. Along with Buffalo Sabres prospect Noah Ostlund, they formed a potent trio that put up a combined 12 goals and 34 points in Sweden’s gold medal win at the 2022 U18s, leading to all three getting selected in the first round at the 2022 Draft. Ohgren is currently in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Iowa Wild and has an impressive 12 goals and 23 points in 25 games, similar to Lekkerimaki’s output of 19 goals and 28 points in 32 games in Abbotsford.

The Wild would have to do some cap gymnastics to bring Boeser in, but even with their acquisition of Gustav Nyquist on Saturday, I wouldn’t rule them out as a potential trade destination.

Ottawa Senators

Could the Canucks reunite Boeser with former head coach Travis Green? He played his first five seasons under the now-Ottawa Senators’ bench boss and was a consistent 20-goal scorer. The Senators are right in the thick of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference and could use another scoring threat in their top-nine. Boeser would give them that and help a power play that has been good but not great this season.

What Could the Canucks Get in Return?

The Senators don’t have a lot of cap space, so the Canucks would probably have to take a contract like Josh Norris’ in return to make a deal work. He has bounced back from his injury-riddled 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons and seems to be closer to the player who scored 35 goals in 2021-22. He has 19 goals and 31 points in 51 games so far, and would address the Canucks’ aforementioned lack of center depth. He is also efficient in the faceoff dot with a career 52.4 faceoff percentage and isn’t afraid to throw the body – especially this season, where he has 129 hits already.

Josh Norris, Ottawa Senators (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

The contract – $7.95 million average annual value (AAV) for the next three seasons – could be hard to swallow, but if Norris returns to form and avoids the injury bug, he might be as successful as J.T. Miller was after they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Lightning. If that happens, $7.95 million will look like a bargain, especially given the fact that he’s still only 25 years old.

Tampa Bay Lightning

This season, the Tampa Bay Lightning have largely been carried by their stars Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, and Anthony Cirelli. They could use more scoring depth in their forward group, especially on right wing, where there’s a big drop-off after Kucherov. The Lightning are projected to have over $6 million in cap space before the deadline, too, so they could easily take on Boeser’s pro-rated contract for the rest of the season.

What Could the Canucks Get in Return?

The Lightning don’t have a first-round pick in 2025, but the Canucks could get one in 2026 or a prospect like Ethan Gauthier, Dylan Duke or Isaac Howard.

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils have a lot of talented forwards but, surprisingly, are a middle-of-the-pack team when it comes to offence. They sit 12th in the league with 185 goals but tied for 20th at five-on-five with 117. GM Tom Fitzgerald has stated that he wants to add some depth scoring to his lineup before the playoffs, so Boeser will definitely be on his list of targets. He has shown interest in him before, too, as Boeser’s agent reportedly talked to him when he was rumoured to be on the market a couple of years ago (from ‘New Canuck Anthony Beauvillier gets prime lineup spot to boost scoring shot,’ The Province, 2/6/23).

What Could the Canucks Get in Return?

The Devils have a lot of assets to offer in a trade that would interest the Canucks including Simon Nemec, Seamus Casey, and Dawson Mercer amongst their 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks.

Los Angeles Kings

If the Canucks decide that they have a slim chance of making the playoffs, they might consider trading within the Pacific Division. While some experts believe the Los Angeles Kings will make a pitch in free agency rather than the trade market, they might want to upgrade their scoring before then to have a better chance of getting past the first round for the first time since their Stanley Cup win in 2014. The Kings are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL, sitting 25th with 2.84 goals per game (GF/GP), but one of the stingiest defensively, sitting second behind the Winnipeg Jets at 2.62 GF/GP. If they could score one or two more goals a game, they would match up better with the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers, two teams that they will likely face in the first round.

What Could the Canucks Get in Return?

The Kings don’t have as strong of a prospect pool as they used to, but they do have some young players they could offer up. One of them is Alex Laferriere, a 23-year-old who already has a career-high of 15 goals and 31 points this season. The Canucks could also be interested in their 2025 first-round pick or a prospect like 6-foot-6 Samuel Helenius.

Could Boeser Be an Own-Rental For the Rest of the Season?

This could all be a moot point, as the Canucks might just keep Boeser as an own-rental with the hope that he either helps them make the playoffs or they find a way to re-sign him to a reasonable contract before July 1. He wants to stay in Vancouver, that’s abundantly clear, given the eight-year term he is rumoured to be looking for. So, I wouldn’t completely rule out the possibility of him re-signing. It just might not happen before the trade deadline. Having said that, do the Canucks want to risk letting March 7 pass without an extension and potentially lose him for nothing?

Also, considering how bad the Canucks are playing right now and their playoff hopes dying by the day, it might be better to trade him now, and re-visit talks once July 1 hits. While it’s rare that an unrestricted free agent gets traded and returns to the team that traded him, it does happen, and with Boeser’s history with the Canucks and desire to stay, they might be able to buck that trend.

Whatever happens, the next few days are bound to be interesting, not just with Boeser, but the entire team as general manager Patrik Allvin and company decide whether to buy, sell or stick with the status quo.