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JJ Peterka, Buffalo Sabres (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

Canucks’ Possible Replacements for Brock Boeser

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Matthew Zator | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 2:30 PM ET

While the door hasn’t completely closed on Brock Boeser returning to Vancouver next season, the sliver of light is getting thinner and thinner by the day. Vancouver Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal says he might circle back if the offers aren’t to his liking on July 1, but considering the weak free agent class, I find that possibility very unlikely. So, it appears the Canucks will be looking for his replacement this offseason. Whether that is via free agency, a trade, or simply hoping someone already under contract steps up to fill his role remains to be seen. So, with that said, let’s take a look at a player from each avenue.

Free Agent: Nikolaj Ehlers

The biggest free agent fish, other than the headliner Mitch Marner, is Nikolaj Ehlers, who, like Boeser, will test the free agent market when it opens on July 1. While former Canuck Jannik Hansen believes his preference is to join Patrik Laine in Montreal, the Canucks should still do their due diligence and see what his interest level is. He would be the perfect replacement for Boeser, a legitimate top-line winger who is always good for at least 25 goals. While he has yet to hit the 30 or 40-goal plateau, his skill and speed would be a welcome addition to the top line alongside Elias Pettersson. One thing Boeser doesn’t have is speed, which Ehlers has in spades. He could open a ton of ice for Pettersson and help him return to elite status.

Ehlers won’t be cheap to sign, though. He will probably clock in higher than Boeser with rumours that he will hit the $9 million average annual value (AAV) mark (from ‘Will Maple Leafs target Brad Marchand, Nikolaj Ehlers? Move Morgan Rielly?,’ The Athletic, 6/16/25). AFP Analytics put him at $8.10 million AAV on a six-year deal, which almost falls in line with what the Canucks were offering Boeser, six years, instead of five. But he’s the best fit, and the Canucks should seriously look at signing him.

Trade: JJ Peterka

The rumours surrounding JJ Peterka don’t seem to be going away, and the Canucks are reportedly in the conversation for not only him, but BC-native and former Vancouver Giant Bowen Byram as well. A trade involving both of them in a package would be a blockbuster in the realm of Mikko Rantanen – possibly even bigger. At this point, I am not even sure what the Canucks could offer, as the Sabres likely don’t want prospects/futures in return, but roster players that will help them make the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

The Canucks don’t have a lot of those types of roster players, unless they do trade Elias Pettersson to their expansion cousins, as the rumours before the 2025 Trade Deadline suggest. But, the problem with doing that, and getting Peterka and Byram in return, is that they plug a big hole in their 1RW spot but open another one at 1C. While they get a young goalscorer and top-four defenceman, they are left with Filip Chytil as the 1C and Teddy Blueger/Aatu Raty as the 2C – unless they find a way to re-sign Pius Suter, that is. Not exactly the ideal situation, right?

Having said all that, Peterka would be a great replacement for Boeser, not only for the present, but for the future, too. He is 23 years old and is already an established goalscorer in the NHL with two straight 25-goal seasons (28 in 2023-24; 27 in 2024-25). If the Canucks can find a way to acquire him without sending Pettersson the other way, he would complement the former 102-point man on the top line and hopefully re-create the magic we saw in 2022-23 with Andrei Kuzmenko.

Already in the System: Jonathan Lekkerimaki

The Canucks might already have their Boeser replacement in the system in the form of 2022 15th-overall pick Jonathan Lekkerimaki. However, it might not be fair to put that much responsibility on someone who has only three goals and 24 NHL games under his belt. He would be expected to put up at least 20 goals and become a significant threat on the power play, which Boeser had become proficient in over the last two seasons (16 goals in 2023-24 and nine in 2024-25). Lekkerimaki has the wrist shot and one-timer to fill that role, but is that too much to expect from a 20-year-old in his second pro season in North America? Sure, Boeser scored 29 goals at age 20 in 2017-18, but he was coming from a higher level of competition in the NCAA and had been playing North American hockey for his entire hockey life.

Lekkerimaki had a solid rookie season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Abbotsford Canucks. He scored 19 goals in 36 games and, at times, looked ready for the grind of an NHL season. He was okay in Vancouver during his call-ups, but didn’t blow anyone’s socks off with his skill or penchant for scoring goals as he did in Sweden or the World Juniors. He has also struggled with his game in the AHL Playoffs, being healthy scratched during the Western Conference Final and Games 1-3 of the Calder Cup Final. He might need another season in the AHL to further organize his toolbox under (hopefully) head coach Manny Malhotra’s tutelage, but at the same time, he could benefit from being thrown into the fire as a top-six winger and first-unit triggerman in Boeser’s spot on the power play.

Lekkermaki has showcased what he can do in the AHL with his lethal shot, seen recently in Game 4 against the Charlotte Checkers when it absolutely roofed a one-timer by Kappo Kahkonen. Maybe the Canucks should just roll the dice and hope for the best? After all, they won’t know until they try it. Malhotra said it best when he praised Lekkerimaki’s performance in that aforementioned Game 4, “The kid has ice in his veins. He doesn’t shy away from big moments, and tonight he had two quality looks and made them count. That’s the type of player he is when given the opportunity and put in the right spot.” Well, he would get just that if the Canucks trusted him as a top-six winger right off the bat. Who knows, they might be pleasantly surprised and get another Calder Trophy finalist (or even winner) like Boeser was in his first full season.

Crazy Season Begins Soon

It will be interesting to see what the Canucks do leading up to the draft and into free agency. They need at least two forwards – a top-six centre and a top-six winger – commodities that are not going to be easy to find in the free agent market. General manager Patrik Allvin and his staff are rumoured to be in on everything, from top free agents to top trade targets, but whether they will be successful with reeling in those fish is another story. They don’t have the most ideal environment with this season’s locker room drama and yet another coaching change muddying the situation, so the trade market might be the only place Allvin can turn to upgrade his team. Whatever the case, it won’t be a dull offseason in Vancouver, that’s for sure.