NHL expert opines Brock Boeser's exit from Canucks is imminent, names $1.55B franchise as ideal landing spot owing to family's roots

Brock Boeser's time in Vancouver seems to be officially winding up. The winger will hit unrestricted free agency at the end of next month. The Canucks forward has already been linked to a number of teams. While other big-market clubs have been speculated to be interested, NHL analyst Bruce Boudreau considers the Minnesota Wild, the team based closest to his home, a favorite.

Boeser scored 73 points and 40 goals in the 2023-24 season. That was a hefty return for a forward earning a $6.65 million annual salary on his $19.95 million deal he signed three years back. Although his stats dipped a bit this season, he still managed 50 points.

After a lengthy negotiation process between the team and the player's camp ahead of the deadline, there was some disagreement regarding the term. Speculations were made about Boeser turning down a five-year, $40 million contract.

Thus, with impending free agency looming and the salary cap expected to rise to $95.5 million, Boudreau stated on the TSN broadcast that the Minnesota Wild, valued at $1.55 billion (as per Forbes), are frontrunners to sign his services.

"I think he's a really good player, but I think he loves his home state of Minnesota. He lives in the Minneapolis area. I think he's wanted to go back there, he's got all the family back there, and I really do think that the Wild have the money to spend. Not only that, they need a second-line scorer behind Kaprizov because once Kaprizov went out for all that length of time, they didn't have anybody that could put the puck in the net. I think he'd be a great fit in Minnesota," Boudreau said.

The Wild will consider bringing the Burnsville native as they will have $20 million in cap space on July 1. Adding Boeser will sort out their top six, which consists of players like Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, among others.

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin still hopeful of signing Brock Boeser

While the Canucks were heavily criticized for failing to keep Brock Boeser on their roster sheet for next season, Patrik Allvin vowed that they will still try to get a new contract signed. In a special meeting with season ticket holders of the fan base, two weeks back, Allvin had stated:

“We’re going to see if there’s a chance to keep Brock Boeser.”

From his words, it is evident that Allvin and the rest of the Canucks management do not have much confidence. They were hesitant to deal with him at the trade deadline because of his unsatisfactory returns and then could not agree on terms. Losing someone who has scored 434 points in 554 games for the team will surely hurt them.