After trading players like Quinn Hughes, Kiefer Sherwood, Conor Garland, and Tyler Myers last season, the Vancouver Canucks have continued to tear down their roster this offseason. They most notably traded defenseman Marcus Pettersson to the New York Rangers. They also moved on from forward Nils Hoglander, trading him to the Nashville Predators.
With this, the Canucks have certainly blown up their roster over the last several months. Yet, when noting that the Canucks are in a full-on rebuild, they still have other trade candidates to watch as the offseason carries on.
Due to this, two Canucks stars are once again creating chatter as trade candidates.
This is because Canucks forwards Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser were both included in Lyle Richardson’s latest NHL trade board for Bleacher Report.
Seeing Pettersson and Boeser be named as top trade candidates at this stage in the offseason is understandable. Both players have been the subject of trade rumors for a while now, and they are no longer fits on the rebuilding Canucks’ rosters.
Canucks’ Elias Pettersson Has Been in Need of a Change of Scenery for a Long Time
Pettersson was given the No. 15 spot on Richardson’s new trade board, and it makes a lot of sense. Questions about Pettersson’s future in Vancouver have come up for years now, and it is no secret that he is in desperate need of a change of scenery.
However, Pettersson’s extremely expensive $11.6 million cap hit through 2031-32 and back-to-back rough seasons are major obstacles to a potential move. The 27-year-old appeared in 74 games last season for Vancouver, where he recorded 15 goals and 51 points. This was after he had 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games with Vancouver in 2024-25.
Yet, there could be a team out there willing to take a gamble on him if they feel he can turn things back around. Keep in mind, Pettersson posted 34 goals and 89 points in 82 games for the Canucks just back in 2023-24. This after he set career highs with 39 goals, 63 assists, and 102 points in 80 games in 2022-23. These seasons were not too long ago, so maybe that could lead to another club bringing him in despite the major risk.
Canucks’ Brock Boeser Could Be Popular Target for Teams Needing More Scoring
Boeser landed the No. 11 spot on Richardson’s trade board. Like Pettersson, Boeser has been a popular name in the rumor mill. When noting that the Canucks have traded away so many of his former teammates since he signed his seven-year, $50.75 million contract extension just last year, it is fair to wonder if he could get moved next.
However, there are some obstacles with a potential Boeser trade, too. He has a $7.25 million cap hit through the 2031-32 season and has complete say over whether and where he would get traded due to his full no-movement clause. He also had a down year for his standards in 2025-26, posting 22 goals, 48 points, and a minus-48 rating.
Yet, when noting that Boeser is a high-impact scorer when playing at his best, there should still be teams interested in him. Keep in mind, just back in 2023-24, he posted 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games. He has also scored over 20 goals in seven out of his 10 NHL seasons.
2 Vancouver Canucks Stars Make New NHL Trade Board