Report: “Good chance” Bruce Boudreau and Canucks agree on extension by next week

There’s a “good chance” Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau will agree to terms on a contract extension with the team in the next week, according to a report by Sportsnet’s Irfaan Gaffar.

Boudreau, 67, guided the Canucks to a 32–15–10 record down the stretch after being hired in December to replace Travis Green. The Canucks ultimately finished five points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Boudreau’s original deal with the Canucks covered the 2021–22 season with an option for 2022–23.

In an appearance on Donnie & Dhali – The Team earlier this week, Friedman indicated that a three-year term would be “reasonable” to expect on a new contract for Boudreau in Vancouver.

The Canucks started out under Green for the first 25 games of the 2021–22 season, posting a lacklustre 8–15–2 record prior to the coaching change. Boudreau joined the Canucks on Dec. 5 and won his first seven games with the team.

In 15 seasons as an NHL head coach with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, and Canucks, Boudreau has a 599–317–125 record in the regular season and a 43–47 record in the playoffs.

Boudreau won the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s top coach with Washington in 2008 after replacing Glen Hanlon during the season. The Toronto-born coach guided the Capitals to a 37–17–7 record and a Southeast Division title in his 61 games behind the bench in 2007–08.