"Worst free agency ever" "Ehlers about to get heist": NHL fans react as Brock Boeser signs 7-year, $50.75M extension with Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks surprised the NHL world by re-signing UFA forward Brock Boeser to a seven-year, $50.75 million contract, insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Tuesday.

News of the deal was surprising as the prevailing wisdom was that Boeser would depart Vancouver. Now, the Canucks have locked up the former 40-goal scorer for the foreseeable future.

However, news of the signing did not sit very well with some fans. Here’s a look at what some fans had to say about Brock Boeser’s new contract.

Meanwhile, other fans expressed their frustration at the lack of apparent action. Let’s see what these fans had to say.

Brock Boeser’s new contract will carry an AAV of $7.25 over the next seven seasons. According to PuckPedia, it will gobble up 7.6% of the Canucks’ cap allocation next season. The contract will take Boeser to his age-35 season.

Canucks get Brock Boeser slightly below market value

The Athletic’s Free Agent Board projected a hefty payday for Brock Boeser this summer. The projection showed Boeser landing a six-year deal worth an AAV of $8.45 million. That AAV would have brought the contract’s total value to $50.7 million.

When looking at the contact he ultimately signed, the Canucks signed Brock Boeser for market value in terms of the deal’s total value. The deal was right on target with The Athletic’s projection.

The difference lies in the Canucks adding a seventh year which brought the AAV down from $8.45 million to $7.25 million. The Canucks, in essence, added a year to bring the cap hit down throughout the contract’s duration.

That practice is common for teams looking to minimize a contract’s impact on their cap structure. Boeser’s deal was similar to what the Florida Panthers did with Brad Marchand. The Panthers signed the 37-year-old to a six-year deal just to keep the AAV under $6 million.

The Canucks now have $557K in cap space following Boeser’s signing. The team also announced a contract extension for goaltender Thatcher Demko, though that deal will kick into effect in the 2026-26 season.

Vancouver fans can breathe a sigh of relief for now, but more moves could be coming as the team likely needs to clear cap space to round out its roster.

About the author

Nestor is an NHL and MLB writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience. Growing up in Toronto, he became an avid Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, but also admires the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Dodgers for their dominance in the 80s. Holding an Economics and Education major, Nestor’s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.

Nestor credits the Leafs’ playoff runs in the early '90s as having a lasting impact on him. His favorite players are Doug Gilmour and Mike Bossy, as he feels they were tough, talented leaders, while Pat Burns is his favorite coach of all time for always preaching a fast-paced game.

Growing up in Canada, it was natural for Nestor to become interested in ice hockey and he played Minor Hockey as a teenager, which has given him a unique perspective on the sport. Nestor has mastered the art of how to best present facts and he also has a knack for knowing which sources can be trusted, and which can't for stories.

When he is not writing about Canada’s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.

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