March 9, 2025 | 11:50am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

CANUCKS WANTED A FIRST-ROUND PICK FOR BOESER

Brock Boeser, forward

The Vancouver Canucks held on to Brock Boeser rather than trade him prior to Friday’s trade deadline primarily because the team did not receive an offer that included a first-round pick for his services.

Boeser, 28, is in the final year of a three-year, $19.95 million contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

The Canucks and Boeser have remained far apart in contract negotiations and were not able to make any traction leading up to the deadline. Vancouver pitched Boeser a five-year offer earlier in the season, while Boeser’s camp have been pushing for a seven-to-eight-year agreement.

Several teams expressed interest in Boeser, but as Canucks GM Patrik Allvin told the media on Friday after the deadline, the offers weren’t to their liking.

“If I told you what I was offered for Brock Boeser, I think I would have to run out of here because you would not believe me,” Allvin said.

Boeser and his agent were not overly pleased by Allvin’s public remarks, and that surely will factor in to future contract talks, even though the player appears destined to hit the open market this summer.

During the “Saturday Headlines” segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman provided more information on the matter.

“It was a really odd media conference yesterday and I’m sure Boeser wasn’t happy with some of the things that were said, but I just tried to get to the bottom of it,” Friedman said. “The thing is that the Vancouver Canucks indicated nothing less than the first rounder for Boeser, they weren’t taking anything less than the first rounder and they didn’t get it, so they decided to hold the player and we’ll see where it goes from here.”

In 55 games with the Canucks so far this season, Boeser has registered 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points.