With free agency under two weeks away, it’s becoming more apparent that Brock Boeser won’t be signing an extension with the Vancouver Canucks.
While you can never say never, there’s still time to get something done, but it’s looking like he’ll be testing the market.
Donnie & Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal shared his opinion on the Boeser situation:
“So here we are in the 11th Hour. They’ve had 11 months to sign them, and let’s be honest, be shocked if Brock doesn’t test the market. I get the sense the Canucks do want him back. But does Brock want to be back? You’ve had all year to sign him. He would have signed in the regular season, but they elected to sign two guys from Pittsburgh (Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor) they [only had for] two weeks, and then the comments by [Patrik] Allvin at the deadline really pissed off the Boeser camp.”
Dhaliwal further talks about what might be out there for Boeser. Only two high-profile right-wingers are available in free agency: Mitch Marner and Boeser. If teams feel they’re not in the Marner sweepstakes, that could start a bidding war for Boeser’s services, leading to the Burnsville, Minnesota native to cash in on a big payday.
However, suppose the Marner decision looms longer into the offseason (which has been reported) and the market does not size up for Boeser the way he planned. In that case, there’s always the possibility of both parties circling back and the longest-tenured Canuck remains in Vancouver.
But with no guarantee of that, General Manager Patrik Allvin will have to look into potential replacements in the trade route throughout the league. Here are seven potential Boeser replacements the Canucks could acquire on the trade market:

Alex Tuch

The Buffalo Sabres are a hot topic in the trade market right now, with veteran players reportedly unhappy with the team’s direction. Tuch, however, has been one player who has shown a desire to play for the Sabres, being a Western New York native.
But the Sabres need to make a change to try and improve this team somehow, and if Tuch is the player they need to make expendable to do so, they really have no choice.
Tuch has one year remaining on his current contract, making $4.75 million annually. The 29-year-old has a knack for the net, scoring 36 goals in two of his last three seasons, good for a 0.41 goals per game average. Let’s not forget he did this all on a struggling Sabres club.
There is a connection between Tuch and Vancouver, as his wife went to university in the Lower Mainland. Tuch’s contract carries a five-team no-trade clause, but it’s hard to imagine Vancouver would be on that list with his family’s familiarity with the city.

Teuvo Teravainen

Teravainen is far from a sniper, so asking him to replicate Boeser’s goal totals isn’t the best replacement option. However, he brings other intagibles that the Canucks would benefit from.
The Finnish forward has been a point-producer everywhere he’s played. He has finished with a 0.50 point-per-game pace in nine straight seasons, even doing so last season on one of the league’s worst teams, the Chicago Blackhawks.
While he’s a pass-first player, Teravainen’s shot selection is something to admire. Topping out at 202 shots on goal in a single season, he’s finished with above a 10 shooting percentage in six of the previous eight seasons, and above 12% in four. And while he doesn’t utilize his shot often, he has a top-shot speed of 90+ MPH, ranking in the 70th+ percentile according to NHL Edge since the league has been tracking this data.
With a career shooting percentage of 11.7%, if he sees an elevated role in Vancouver and increases his shot volume, he could see an uptick in his goal-scoring production – his career high is 25 goals in a season.
Teravainen has an eight-team no-trade clause, but if the opportunity comes for him to leave a struggling team, he might want a chance to be with a more competitive team. And why wouldn’t the Blackhawks take the opportunity to get younger if the return is young players/futures?

Valeri Nichushkin

There’s been virtually no talk about Nichushkin and the Colorado Avalanche making him available. However, given the current state of their cap, we could see some cap casualties coming.
The Avalanche have $1.2 million of available cap space this offseason, and only four NHL defencemen on the roster. Samuel Girard has been a name that has been drawing some trade buzz, but that only puts them further in the hole on the blueline.
Nichushkin is making $6.125 million for the next five seasons. But with Captain Gabriel Landeskog back in the mix, he could be the in-house replacement in the top-six for Nichushkin. Moving on from him would also free up enough money to re-sign Jonathan Drouin, while also helping the Avalanche find a new bottom pairing.
The Russian forward would be a nice replacement for Boeser with his scoring touch. Nichushkin is averaging 0.43 goals per game (91 goals in 212 games) over the last four seasons with the Avalanche. He has been a reliable presence on the power play, spending most of his time in the bumper spot, scoring 36 goals with the man-advantage.
One issue with Nichushkin is his availability. The former first-round pick has not played more than 62 games in a season over his last four. But when he’s in the lineup, he averages 19+ minutes per game. The only worry would be Nichushkin’s 12-team no-trade clause and whether he has Vancouver on it.

Jason Robertson

We’ve heard Robertson’s name out there on the trade market since the Dallas Stars were eliminated from playoff contention with the current state of their salary cap. The Stars have just under $5 million in available cap space with UFAs Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund and RFA Mavrik Bourque all to re-sign – not to mention their need to fix the right side of their defence.
And with Robertson needing a healthy raise off his $7.5 million extension after this season, his name became a possible expendable asset.
Since his breakout four seasons ago, Robertson hasn’t had a problem putting the puck in the back of the net. The American winger has three seasons with 35+ goals, and two with 40+ over that span. He has recorded 79+ points in each of those seasons, while proving his durability, playing in 320 of a possible 328 games.
The 25-year-old would surely be the most expensive player on this list, but with his scoring touch and ability to drive play, he would definitely be worth the hefty price tag.

Viktor Arvidsson

Initially, we thought Evander Kane might be a better option. But after diving into things, Arvidsson might be the better option for what the Canucks need.
Yes, you’re probably thinking, ‘why would the Canucks trade for a guy that was a healthy scratch at points in the Stanley Cup Finals, who’s making $4 million?’ but, hear me out.
It wasn’t necessarily a career year for Arvidsson in his first season with the Edmonton Oilers, finishing with just 15 goals and 27 points in 67 games. But when he wasn’t a fit early on, he was playing up and down the lineup and not given much of an opportunity to build chemistry with new linemates. Also, this was his first season back after only playing 18 games. There was clearly some rust he needed to knock off, and doing so with a new team makes it that much more difficult.
However, when you look at some of his underlying stats, it starts to look a little more like vintage Arvidsson.
After a slower start to the year – that’s to be expected after a couple of lower-body injuries the previous season – his speed ramped back up. According to NHL Edge, Arvidsson clocked in at a top speed of 23.11 MPH in a March 4 game against the Anaheim Ducks. That speed reached new heights in the playoffs, where he clocked in at 23.90 MPH, ranking in the 99th percentile.
In terms of his shot, his volume was down this season. He averaged 2.36 shots per game, which was the second-lowest of his 10-year career. However, his shooting percentage did not take that big of a hit, down to 9.5% – 1.4% lower than his career average. More ice time leads to more shots per game for him to return to his nearly 11% shooting percentage. Arvidsson has a career-high of 34 goals, with four seasons of 25+ goals.
Arvidsson would need to sign off on any trade as he has a full no-movement clause. However, with it clearly not working out in his first year in Edmonton, being scratched in the Stanley Cup Finals, and their cap trouble needing to re-sign Evan Bouchard with just under $8 million after the reported eight-year Trent Frederic extension, Arvidsson may be willing to waive his clause for an opportunity to play in a more prominent role. Plus, Arvidsson would likely be viewed as a cap dump and come at a low cost.

Alexis Lafreniere

This name is quite familiar within the Canucks rumours. Lafreniere has been linked to Vancouver ever since the organization hired his former agent, Emilie Castonguay. And with how New York Rangers General Manager Chris Drury is approaching this offseason, nobody seems untouchable.
Lafreniere may not have the same trade value as a year ago after a down 2024-2025 campaign. The 23-year-old finished with 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 points, an 11-goal and 12-point decrease from his breakout year that earned him a seven-year, $7.45 million AAV contract extension.
While he has just one season over 20 goals, the hope of him becoming a goal-scorer in his league is Lafreniere’s high-career shooting percentage. The former first-overall pick has never finished with below an 11 shooting percentage, totalling a 13.5% career average.
The Canucks and Rangers obviously have a good trading relationship with two moves made this season. In those two trades, the Canucks sent JT Miller, Carson Soucy, Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington to the Rangers in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, a 2025 first-and third-round pick. And with the familiarity between Lafreniere, Castonguay would almost certainly make a push for her former player to join her in Vancouver.

Rickard Rakell

This may be the most realistic option for multiple reasons.
First off, the Pittsburgh Penguins seem to be the only team aggressively selling this offseason, with Rakell being one of the main trade chips that GM Kyle Dubas has dangled out to teams.
Rakell is coming off a career year, finishing with highs in goals (35), assists (35) and points (70) through 81 games this season. Although there is likely some regression coming for the 32-year-old, finishing with a 17.5 shooting percentage. However, Rakell was able to back up his career-best shooting percentage with a 14.8 shooting percentage the following year in 2017-2018. So, it’s not out of the question that he could replicate last season’s success.
Secondly, there is a connection between Jim Rutherford, Patrik Allvin and the Penguins. Not only because that’s their former team, but because the two teams agreed on a trade last season. On the same night of the JT Miller trade, the Canucks acquired Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor from the Penguins in exchange for Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais, Melvin Fernstrom and the Rangers first-round pick.
The Canucks would have the hurdle of an eight-team no-trade clause to get over, but if the Penguins are heading toward a full tear down rebuild, he could be willing to wave to play on a line with his fellow countrymen Elias Pettersson.

Honourable Mentions

We’ve already spoken about these players at Canucks Army, but Troy Terry, JJ Peterka, Jonathan Marchessault and Owen Tippett all have considerable cases for the Canucks to go out there and acquire. Click the links to read about each player, their potential fit in Vancouver and what they might cost.
What do you think, Canucks fans? If Boeser doesn’t re-sign in Vancouver, which of these options would you prefer as a potenital replacement for the longest-tenured Canuck?
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