NHL trade rumors: 5 teams who should trade for Brock Boeser
The last NHL trade rumors have Brock Boeser available. These five teams make the most sense for him.
On Friday night, the NHL world got surprised by some NHL trade rumors. The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly open to trading their star forward Brock Boeser. If he’s on the market, he’ll probably be the best scoring forward available. And with an average annual value of below $6 million for the next two seasons, Boeser’s a good bargain.
The stagnant salary cap is going to limit the number of potential suitors. However, Boeser’s one of the best scorers in the league. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, he ranks 39th in the NHL in goals per game out of 425 forwards (minimum 80 games played). This puts him in the 90th percentile. He also ranks 51st in points per game, which puts him above the 85th percentile.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
Though Boeser’s suitors are likely going to be limited, it’s still going to require quite a haul to get him. One would think the Canucks are going to ask for a controllable top-four defenseman in return because that’s their biggest weakness. Draft picks are likely going to be involved as well.
So which teams are in the best position to make a move for Boeser? Let’s look at the five most likely suitors for the long-haired superstar.
Honorable Mention
The Montreal Canadiens probably don’t have any defensemen the Canucks would be overly interested in. Considering what happened with Roberto Luongo’s recapture penalty, there’s no way in heck the Canucks are taking on Shea Weber’s deal. But if they’re willing to look at packages built around draft capital and prospects, the Canadiens could offer a tempting trade.
5. New York Islanders
The New York Islanders need to add some scoring. It’s as simple as that. Mathew Barzal is an RFA and is likely going to get a huge deal, so that’s going to make things a little bit difficult. However, I think there’s a hockey trade that could be made between the two teams.
This trade would make quite a bit of sense financially for both sides once you consider Pulock’s an RFA who’s due a fairly substantial raise. The Canucks would get a top-four defenseman in Pulock and a promising forward prospect in Bellows. Plus they’d also get a second-round pick, which would help them recoup some of the draft capital they’ve lost in the last 13 months.
That said, this trade is still a longshot. The Islanders would have to clear even more cap space for this to make sense. But Boeser would be such a great fit for the Islanders next to Barzal, I think they have to consider it.