The Vancouver Canucks are in the midst of a rebuild. That’s not a surprise to anyone at this point. Vancouver has committed to significant roster churn, and, well, it’s now just a matter of time before the rebuild begins to bear fruit.
However, whittling down the rebuild’s overall timeline could depend on one major trade happening.
That trade involves longtime Canucks forward Brock Boeser.
Boeser has played 10 seasons in Vancouver, with his best year coming in 2023-24, when he scored 40 goals and 73 points. It seemed like it was the season in which Boeser finally reached the ceiling that everyone thought he had.
And then, he cashed that season into a seven-year deal worth $50.75 million. Yes, he was coming off a “down year” when he regressed back to his career averages. But the Canucks were hopeful it was just a blip on the radar.
This season, the first year of his massive extension, he regressed even further. After scoring 25 goals in 2024-25, Boeser followed that up with 22 goals this season.
Now, the contract is starting to look like an albatross. The team is saddled with a $7.25 million cap hit for six more seasons, and more than likely, the 29-year-old will see declining production moving forward.
That’s why the Canucks’ rebuild won’t get very far until Boeser’s contract is off the books. The team could easily allocate his cap hit towards other, more useful areas. Unfortunately, there’s one key issue keeping Boeser from going anywhere.
Canucks Will Have to Contend with Boeser’s No-Trade Clause
One of the key aspects baked into Boeser’s contract extension was a full no-movement clause. That clause won’t change until the 2029-30 season, when it changes to a 15-team no-trade clause.
Oh boy.
Even if the Canucks wanted to move Boeser today, the former first-round pick from the 2015 NHL Draft would have total control over the process. Boeser could dictate where he wants to go and when.
Needless to say, that situation would put the Canucks in a tight spot. Even if they could find a taker for Boeser and his contract, Boeser could just nix the deal.
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Vancouver Shouldn’t Expect to Get Much for Boeser
Let’s assume for a minute that the Canucks were able to find a trade partner. Let’s also assume that Boeser was willing to go to that team.
If the plan was to ship out Boeser’s full cap hit, the other party would have little interest in paying much for Boeser. While the Canucks might be able to extract a couple of draft picks or perhaps a mid-tier prospect, the fact is that Vancouver wouldn’t get much of a return.
Perhaps retaining some money on Boeser’s contract might work. However, retaining money for the next six seasons would make it challenging for the Canucks’ next GM to make deals moving forward.
It shouldn’t be surprising to hear the Canucks exploring trade options for Boeser. There should be a market out there for Boeser and his goalscoring potential. But the fact remains that Vancouver’s rebuild will largely depend on clearing out bad contracts like Boeser, Elias Pettersson, and Thatcher Demko.
Canucks Rebuild Won’t Go Anywhere Until This Trade Happens