Canucks winger Brock Boeser has been featured in plenty of trade speculation in recent months but while a deal didn’t materialize last month, some have wondered if he’ll be on the move this summer. But if the 26-year-old has his way, he won’t be going anywhere. He told reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link) that he doesn’t want to be traded and would prefer to remain with Vancouver. This season was a mixed bag for Boeser who actually came one point shy of matching his career high but he managed just 18 goals which isn’t a great return on a $6.65MM AAV. He has two years remaining on his contract.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- Canucks prospect Filip Johansson will be joining AHL Abbotsford for their playoff run, relays Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic (Twitter link). The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by Minnesota back in 2018 but the Wild opted to take a compensatory second-round selection instead of signing him; Johansson signed with Vancouver soon after. He played in 51 games with Frolunda of the SHL this season, picking up five goals and 16 assists, both career highs while also chipping in with five points in a dozen playoff contests. This will be Johansson’s first taste of action in North America.
- Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar will suit up for Canada at the upcoming World Championship, reports Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. The 29-year-old had a bit of a down year in his first season with Calgary, seeing his point output dip from 44 to 31 (in 81 games) while his playing time was shaved by more than two minutes per game. While Weegar’s current contract expires in June, he has already locked in with the Flames for the long haul, inking an eight-year, $50MM extension back in October. This will be Weegar’s first time suiting up for Canada in an international tournament.
- Sharks winger Tomas Hertl won’t be suiting up at the Worlds next month, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). The 29-year-old struggled defensively in what he called a challenging season but reached the 60-point mark for the second straight year and third time in his career while winning nearly 55% of his faceoffs. His 63 points placed Hertl third on the team in scoring. Meanwhile, in a separate tweet, Pashelka notes that center Nico Sturm will play for Germany in the tournament, his first time representing his home country. The 27-year-old had a career year this season, collecting 14 goals and 12 assists in 74 games.
Yeah, time to wrap heads around the fact that six years in, this is who Brock Boeser is: he’s not going to be a superstar, but a top-six forward with good production. If he had a $5 mm AAV, no one would complain.
Casey Middlestat had 15 goals & 44 assists in 2022/23 making $2.5 million. Middlestat also scored 5 goals down the stretch (5 games). He has another year at $2.5 million & is still a RFA after that.