Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser is preparing to test the waters of free agency after commenting that it's "unlikely" he will return to the club that drafted him.
Boeser is expected to sign a contract around $8.5 million annually, and it will undoubtedly be a long-term deal after he reportedly turned down Vancouver's offer of a $40 million, five-year contract during the season.
There are a number of teams that could use the offensive prowess of a former 40-goal scorer, and as one of the strongest free agents on the market this summer, Boeser will be garnering a lot of interest from around the league.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild are being brought up as one of the frontrunners in the Boeser sweepstakes for a number of reasons. Minnesota has $15.8 million to work with, so they have the money to offer him. More notably, Boeser was born and raised there and still lives in the Minneapolis area.
Besides it being close to home, this potential signing would fit the needs of both sides. The Wild are hurting for secondary scoring, especially considering that their second leading scorer Marco Rossi could be on his way out either via trade or offer sheet on July 1.
When Kirill Kaprizov went down with an injury from late January to early April, the Wild spiralled to last place in the NHL with 2.25 goals per game in that span. The team's offense hinged so greatly on their star forward, and that proved to be a huge weakness. Boeser is an intriguing solution to that problem.
"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."Former Wild coach Bruce Boudreau via TSN
Boeser is just one year removed from a 40-goal season. He has shown some inconsistency in his production, bobbing from 18 goals to 40 then back down to 25 over the last three years. Still, Boeser could rejuvenate a struggling Wild power play and would fit in perfect on a second-line for Minnesota.
Los Angeles Kings
Ever since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014, the Kings have been unable to make it past the first round of the playoffs. In the last 11 years, the team has made the playoffs six times and been eliminated early each time.
Boeser would provide a big boost for the top six, especially if RFA Alex Laferriere does not return on July 1. Andrei Kuzmenko impressed the Kings in his short stint on the team, but as he also becomes a UFA, it could be worth spending a couple extra million on someone like Boeser who will play the exact same role in the lineup at the same age -- with more of an offensive upside.
Los Angeles was very middle-of-the-pack as far as scoring goes, ranking 14th in total goals for and goals per game during the regular season. That improved immensely in the playoffs, but it still wasn't enough to take down their familiar foes, the Edmonton Oilers. Boeser would offer the Kings a trigger-finger mentality that could be what the Kings need to go on a deep run next year and beyond.
The Kings are swimming in cap space with over $21 million to spend headed into free agency, so the team can absolutely afford what Boeser is asking for. GM Ken Holland said that he plans to be extremely active during the offseason, so it would certainly fit his plans.
"I plan to be aggressive. Ownership is prepared to go to the cap. The goal is to put a competitive team on the ice and, at the right time, be aggressive to try to make the team better and more exciting."GM Ken Holland to The Athletic
Chicago Blackhawks
Unlike the previous two teams on the list, the Blackhawks have not been playoff contenders in quite some time. But Chicago is frontloaded with talented skaters like Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar who are looking for an anchor to hold down the top line.
Bedard has phenomenal vision and hockey IQ as the team's top center, and the Blackhawks are in need of someone to put alongisde him that can reliably convert on Bedard's laser-like passes. As a pure goal-scorer, Boeser could be exactly what the Hawks are searching for.
Chicago struggled to score goals all season long, ranking 26th in the NHL with 2.73 goals per game. Even in what could be considered an underperforming season for Boeser, he still managed 25 goals and 25 helpers which would be the second-most goals and fourth-most points on the Blackhawks.
As a power play specialist, Boeser would continue to help Chicago become even more dominant on the man advantage that was seventh-best during the season. Boeser does score the majority of his goals at even strength, though, which is even more important for the Blackhawks.
Chicago has a whopping $29.2 million in cap space approaching the offseason, so they can and should be making a strong push to get Boeser. Expect a very active summer from GM Kyle Davidson as the Blackhawks will try to continue the rebuild and make big progress next year.