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Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vancouver Canucks

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Vancouver Canucks

Current Cap Hit: $70,227,845 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Brock Boeser (one year, $925K)
F Adam Gaudette (two years, $917K)
F Nikolay Goldobin (one year, $863K)
F Elias Pettersson (three years, $925K)

Potential Bonuses

Boeser: $850K
Gaudette: $850K
Goldobin: $213K
Pettersson: $2.85MM

Total: $4.763MM

Boeser’s first full NHL season was quite the impressive one.  Despite missing 20 games due to injury, he still led the team in goals with 29 and tied for the lead in points with 55.  With the departures of the Sedin twins, this is now truly his team offensively already.  Extension talks are scheduled for this week but Boeser’s negotiating leverage is lessened by his overall lack of NHL experience.  With that in mind, unless Vancouver is prepared to go past $6MM per year already, he would be better served playing out next season where similar production would bolster his case considerably.  Regardless of whether it gets done now or a year from now, there’s a good chance that Boeser will have the top cap hit in Vancouver for 2019-20.

Pettersson is coming off of a season where he won just about every award he could in the SHL (including Rookie of the Year plus MVP of the regular season and playoffs).  Although they have a logjam of forwards, there’s a good chance he starts on the wing inside the top six or gets to that point before long.  Goldobin split last year between the NHL and AHL and while he showed flashes of promise, he has yet to really establish himself in Vancouver.  If he can do that, he should be able to improve on his current AAV but if he struggles, not only does he become a trade candidate but he also is someone that may be asked to take an NHL pay cut (with higher minor league money) on his next deal.  Gaudette was the top scorer in the NCAA last year and got a cup of coffee with Vancouver.  If they really go with a youth movement, he’ll be one of the beneficiaries but he could also be an opening roster casualty due to his waiver exemption.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Michael Del Zotto ($3MM, UFA)
F Derek Dorsett ($2.65MM, UFA)
D Alexander Edler ($5MM, UFA)
F Brendan Gaunce ($750K, RFA)
F Markus Granlund ($1.45MM, RFA)
D Ben Hutton ($2.8MM, RFA)
F Brendan Leipsic ($650K, RFA)
G Anders Nilsson ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Derrick Pouliot ($1.1MM, RFA)

Among the forwards, Granlund is the most notable.  He had a down year in 2017-18, posting just a dozen points in 53 games after collecting 32 points the year before.  The deal he’s on (one that was signed back in June) likely equates to a last chance contract.  If he rebounds, he’ll play himself into a nice raise with arbitration eligibility but if he struggles, he’ll be a non-tender candidate.  Gaunce has failed to live up to his first-round draft billing and will simply be battling to make the roster so a sizable raise isn’t likely in the cards.  Leipsic fared quite well after coming over from Vegas with nine points in 14 games.  Competition for a top-six spot is much stronger now, however, so the type of playing time he was getting then is far from a guarantee.  If he can secure a regular roster spot at the very least, he’ll land another deal next summer.  Dorsett was forced to call it a career early last season after experiencing continued pain following cervical disc herniation surgery back in 2016-17 but won’t formally file his retirement papers until his contract expires.  If Vancouver needs more cap flexibility in-season, he’ll be moved to LTIR.

The defensive group is much more interesting.  Edler has been part of trade speculation for a long time now and with his deal now expiring, that will surely intensify if the Canucks get off to a slow start.  When healthy, he’s still a capable second or third defender but staying healthy has been a challenge which will greatly affect his next contract.  Because of the injury history, his next deal will probably check in somewhat close to his current one.

Del Zotto has been on short-term deals for most of his career and as he’s an offensive-minded depth defender, that probably won’t change too much next summer.  He’ll need to improve his output if he wants to secure a raise and a little bit of stability on his next contract.  It wasn’t long ago that Hutton was viewed as part of Vancouver’s long-term future.  However, he struggled considerably last year and the team has been trying to move him but have had to takers thus far.  He projects as a safe bet to be non-tendered at a $2.8MM qualifying offer next summer.  Pouliot wasn’t given a qualifying offer back in June to avoid the potential for arbitration but they quickly reached an agreement.  He took some small strides forward last season but this could be a make or break year for him.  Improvement could get him a longer deal but if he struggles, he could be let go as well.

Nilsson was brought in to serve as a bridge to top prospect Thatcher Demko while pushing incumbent Jacob Markstrom for starts.  His performance last season wasn’t particularly strong and a repeat of that could have him on the outside looking in on the goalie market next summer.  On the flip side, with the extra emphasis on capable backups, a rebound season could allow him to get close to his current AAV.  Either way though, with Demko expected to be ready for 2019-20, a return to Vancouver for Nilsson isn’t likely to be in the cards.

Two Years Remaining

D Alex Biega ($825K, UFA)
F Sam Gagner ($3.15MM, UFA)
G Jacob Markstrom ($3.67MM, UFA)
F Tim Schaller ($1.9MM, RFA)
D Troy Stecher ($2.325MM, UFA)
D Chris Tanev ($4.45MM, UFA)
F Jake Virtanen ($1.25MM, RFA)

Gagner has largely struggled in a top role but has provided capable secondary scoring over the last couple of years.  That’s the role he’s likely to have with the Canucks moving forward.  That said, he’ll have a hard time getting a multi-year deal on his next contract if he hovers around the 25-30 point mark.  Schaller was brought in as part of their somewhat-perplexing strategy to load up on bottom-six forwards this summer.  He had a career year with Boston last year and if he can repeat that in Vancouver, they’ll get decent value out of the contract.  Virtanen has struggled with consistency so far which made his bridge contract the expected outcome.  Within the next two years, the team should know if he’s part of their long-term plans (which will involve a big raise) or merely a filler in which case, he could be a non-tender candidate with a $1.5MM qualifier in June of 2020.

Tanev is another Vancouver defender that has been part of trade speculation for a while with nothing happening.  He’s one of the more well-regarded stay-at-home blueliners in the league but he has a lengthier injury history than Edler which will hurt his market value on his next contract.  Stecher took a big step back last season but his performance in his rookie year was enough to get him this deal.  If he reverts back to his rookie form, this will be a good contract but if not, this could be another Hutton situation.  Biega has some stability in the form of a one-way deal but he’s not likely to play much when the team is healthy.

Markstrom’s first full year as a starter had some ups and downs but all in all, it wasn’t a bad year.  He’ll need to build on that if he wants to secure another contract though with Demko coming quickly.  If he can show himself to be a starter, he will have several suitors down the road but if he proves to simply be a platoon player, he’ll be looking at a pay cut on his next contract.

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Canucks Unlikely To Offer Any PTO Deals Before Training Camp

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  • The Canucks are a team that has used PTO deals in training camp in recent years but Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma reports that this will not be the case, at least as things currently stand. Vancouver shored up their depth up front this summer with a trio of bottom-six signings while they have eight returning defensemen so the vacancies just aren’t there.  While some teams will bring in tryouts simply to help fill out the roster through the early goings of the preseason, it doesn’t appear that Vancouver will be among those.

Southern California Becoming A Hotbed For Young Hockey Talent

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Can you name the all-time leading NHL scorer who was born or raised in California? No? It’s long-retired journeyman defenseman Lee Norwood of course with a total of 211 points. Coming in at number two is Brooks Orpik and his 185 career points and Orpik was raised in New York and played his developmental hockey in Massachusetts. The state of California has simply never been much of producer of hockey talent. Not for long. The grassroots movement in Southern California, fueled by the success of its three NHL rival teams, has begun to grow talent at a rate never before seen in the state or in many southern markets. Soon, California natives will be making names for themselves at the highest level.

For a while now, Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller has been the best player in the NHL both born and raised in California. The rugged blue liner from Los Angeles is 30 years old, making him more of an outlier ahead of his time. However, younger pros are beginning to line up behind him for the title of top Californian. Chad Ruhwedel, Ian McCoshen, Matthew Nieto, Beau Bennett, Nic Kerdiles, Eric Comrie and Collin Delia make up the list of other West Coast natives that are getting play time in the NHL.

The above group is still not all that impressive. The point being that the SoCal hockey movement hasn’t hit just yet. It is the next wave that will really start to turn heads. The poster boy is Vancouver Canucks top goalie prospect Thatcher Demko. The San Diego product was an early second-round pick in 2014 and has impressed at every level: the USHL, NCAA, and AHL. Once the Canucks finally give him a legitimate role in the NHL, he could become a top goalie in the league.

Demko was a product of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, a nationwide premiere youth league with teams based in major cities across the U.S., some of whom have even adopted the local NHL club’s moniker. Demko played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings U16 team in 2011-12. To take a look at how hockey has grown since, here are some other names who have suited up for the same team since:

  • Robby Jackson, the leading scorer for St. Cloud State University, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2017-18. Jackson turned down pro offers to return to school for his senior season.
  • Jake McGrew, a 2017 sixth-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks who currently plays a top-six role for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL
  • Cole Guttman, a 2017 sixth-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning and former top ten USHL scoring leader who heads to the University of Denver this year
  • Murphy Stratton, a point-per-game power forward in the BCHL last year who is committed to the University of North Dakota
  • Sahil Panwar, the 23rd overall pick by the London Knights in the OHL Priority Selection Draft this year and a 2020 NHL Draft prospect

While the Jr. Kings have had quite a run in recent years, the cross-town rival Anaheim Jr. Ducks have been keeping busy of late. In just the past year, the Ducks have had numerous major commitments. Josh Groll, on of the T1EHL’s top scorers last season, is bound for the University of Michigan. Ryan Johnson, who scored the second-most points by a defenseman in league history a year ago, is committed to the University of Minnesota. Just today, the University of Massachusetts received a commitment from forward Ethan Wothers. The top player to watch of them all though is Jackson Niedermayer, son of Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer, who will join the Penticton Vees of the BCHL this season and promises to be an intriguing name in next year’s NHL Draft.

This is just the beginning of what grassroots hockey may grow to be in Southern California. Beaches and year round warm weather aside, the area has everything it needs to continue to grow the game: popular NHL teams, plenty of wealth to support facilities and training, an opportunity to be noticed, and now a high level of interest among the many young athletes. Kevan Miller may want to watch out, his title of being the best Californian in the NHL might not last much longer.

Pacific Notes: Juolevi, Kase, Smith, Klefbom

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While asking the question of when will Vancouver Canucks prospect Olli Juolevi play his first NHL game, Ben Kuzma of The Province writes that his chances of making this year’s squad has already been hampered when he suffered a lower-back injury during offseason training. The 20-year–old fifth-overall pick in 2016 had a minimally invasive disk procedure to relieve pressure on his spinal nerve column, which was expected to sideline him for eight to 10 weeks.

Kuzma writes that defenseman Alexander Edler suffered a similar injury back in the 2010-11 season and needed a full 10 weeks to recover. Juolevi likely won’t begin full-intensive training until the end of August, therefore, and will only get about three weeks to get in shape for training camp. With his chances of making the team already a question mark before 2018 first-rounder Quinn Hughes announced he would return to the University of Michigan, what are his chances now?

“He’s on schedule,” said Canucks’ general manager Jim Benning. “He has been working out and will be ready for training camp. We expect him to come to put his best foot forward. We’ll see where he is at and go from there.”

  • Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that with the signing of Ondrej Kase to three-year, $7.8MM deal, the Anaheim Ducks may have quite the logjam at the forward position this year as the team likely will have to find a more prominent role for Kase, which could be challenging. The team has a logjam at the right wing position as many believe that veteran Patrick Eaves could likely join Ryan Getzlaf on the team’s top line next year. The second line will be either manned by Jakob Silfverberg or Corey Perry, which could force Kase to move to the fourth line. That’s not likely to happen. So what can they do for Kase? Move him to the left side? Stephens writes that might work for temporary situations such as injuries that come up, but is hardly a permanent solution for the 22-year-old who is just starting to enter his prime. Stephens adds that a more likely possibility, especially if Ryan Kesler is not ready for the regular season, would be to move Silfverberg off the right side to accommodate Kase.
  • Kent Wilson of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Calgary Flames may have redesigned their team, but they are taking a big gamble in the net with 36-year-old Mike Smith. The veteran had an amazing first-half of the season before suffering an injury and never looked the same. While the hope is that Smith is fully recovered and should return to form for this season, Wilson writes that he’s entering the “danger age” for goaltenders who have historically fallen off a cliff at 36. If the team can’t get a big year from Smith, the team only has David Rittich and Jon Gillies as insurance, which could crush the team’s hopes for a playoff berth in a very deep Pacific Division.
  • Jamie Umbach of NHL.com takes a look at the Edmonton Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom, who regressed last season after a breakout season in the 2016-17 season in which he tallied 12 goals and 38 points. However, a shoulder injury sustained in the Western Conference Finals hovered over him all of last year to the point that he five goals and 21 points in 66 games before he opted to have season-ending surgery to repair his shoulder. Klefbom has been given a clean bill of health this offseason is ready to return for a big season next year. “It feels good going home knowing the shoulder is 100 percent so I don’t have to go through this again with medications and injections,” Klefbom said.

Retained Salary For 2018-19

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Among the ways teams can increase the value of potential trade candidates is by retaining a portion of their salary. These moves are often used on star players who may have declined slightly and are no longer deemed worthy of their big cap hits, or at the deadline in order to fit in as many contracts as possible for the playoff stretch. Any team can retain up to 50% of a player’s salary for the remainder of the contract, though a single player can only be involved in two of these transactions per contract.

Teams meanwhile are limited to three retained salary transactions on the books at any one time, and they cannot in aggregate equal more than 15% of the cap ceiling. That means, for this season a team can retain up to $11,925,000 in salary given the $79.5MM cap ceiling. Some teams have already started in on that number given the previous retained salary transactions that they are still paying off. Below is a list of all the active contracts involved in transactions like this:

Arizona Coyotes

Mike Smith – Retained $1,416,667 per season through 2018-19

Boston Bruins

Matt Beleskey – Retained $1,900,000 per season through 2019-20

Carolina Hurricanes

Marcus Kruger – Retained $308,333 per season through 2018-19

Florida Panthers

Jason Demers – Retained $562,500 per season through 2020-21

Ottawa Senators

Dion Phaneuf – Retained $1,750,000 per season through 2020-21

Toronto Maple Leafs

Phil Kessel – Retained $1,200,000 per season through 2021-22

Vancouver Canucks

Roberto Luongo – Retained $800,000 per season through 2021-22

Vegas Golden Knights

Derick Brassard – Retained $2,000,000 per season through 2018-19

While these transactions are hardly crippling the above teams, they are something to remember when the trade deadline rolls around and clubs are trying to swap contracts. Teams like Toronto and Vancouver who have retained salary for another four years might not want to get into a similar situation and lock up two of their three possible options for the future.

The other question surrounding retained salary transactions will be how they affect the upcoming CBA negotiations, after teams like Vegas have acted as a sort of middle man. Brassard was never really part of the Golden Knights, only coming there on his way from Ottawa to Pittsburgh in order to reduce his salary for the Penguins. Though Vegas received compensation, it is not how the rule was intended to be used.

Erik Gudbranson On Track For Start Of Season

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The NHL preseason is almost here and teams around the league are just hoping to have their entire roster healthy enough to suit up. The Vancouver Canucks aren’t going to have to worry about Erik Gudbranson, as Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet reports that the big defenseman has experienced no setbacks from his shoulder surgery and should be ready for the start of the season. Gudbranson injured his shoulder in November of last year but wasn’t shut down for surgery until mid-March.

The 26-year old Gudbranson has played just 82 games total in the two seasons since joining the Canucks, limited by injuries on a near daily basis. Originally selected third overall by the Florida Panthers, there are many who have pointed to his poor possession statistics as reason to believe that Gudbranson can’t be an effective top-four option in the NHL. Vancouver GM Jim Benning clearly disagrees, signing the 6’5″ 220-lbs defenseman to a three-year $12MM extension in February. Though Gudbranson doesn’t put up points, he is a feared opponent in his own end willing to engage physically and able to clear the front of the net. At his best, he’s a weapon on the penalty kill and can balance out a pairing playing against a more offensively-minded defenseman.

Unfortunately the Canucks haven’t seen much of him at full strength, something they hope to experience this season as they look to compete with a younger core. Vancouver has moved on from franchise icons in Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and are now placing the offensive burden on players like Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser. Gudbranson and other veteran additions like Antoine Roussel, Tim Schaller and Jay Beagle will be tasked with keeping the puck out of the Vancouver net and any attackers off the young player’s backs.

Adam Carlson, Pierre-Cedric Labrie Sign ECHL Contracts

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No one likes to see former NHL players and prospects reduced to signing ECHL contracts to continue their pro hockey careers, but as the off-season wears on, opportunities are drying up and more players are being forced to make the difficult drop-off from a two-way big league contract to a one-way “AA” contract. Young goaltender Adam Carlson and veteran forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie are the latest names to endure this fate, as each of their new teams announced one-year contracts with the players today.

Carlson, 24, is no stranger to the ECHL. In fact, when he joins the Rapid City Rush, it will be his fourth different team in the league in a calendar year. Carlson suited up for the South Carolina Stingrays, Indy Fuel, and Kansas City Mavericks last season, while playing on a two-way contract with the Washington Capitals. While he did get into six games with the Caps’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, his pedestrian numbers in a small sample size weren’t eniugh to secure an AHL contract this off-season. A former star in the NAHL and a one-year standout at Mercyhurst University, Carlson was a well-regarded prospect when he signed with Washington in 2016. He was even fourth in the organization’s depth chart for a time behind Braden Holtby, Philipp Grubauer, and Vitek Vanecek. However, when the Capitals did not qualify him this off-season, it was clear Carlson was not going to be in the NHL any time soon. Still young and developing, Carlson’s pro dreams are not quite dead but he has his work cut out for him to get back into NHL consideration.

Labrie is in a very different situation. The 31-year-old winger has already had a taste of the NHL and has played in over 670 pro games. Yet, in all that time, Labrie has never suited up in the ECHL. The veteran left wing was undrafted out of the QMJHL, but signed an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks as soon as he left juniors. Since, Labrie has made a career for himself in the AHL, playing for seven different teams over 11 years, all while playing on a two-way NHL contract for all but two seasons. Labrie has 196 points over his AHL career, including a career-high 35 in 2011-12. That same year, he also made his NHL debut, skating in 14 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In three seasons in the Lightning organizations, Labrie played in 46 games with Tampa, contributing five points. So, when the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder announced that they had signed Labrie, it was big news for the team. Unlike most players on one-way ECHL contracts, Labrie has NHL time, years of AHL experience as a leader and producer, and has never before played at that level. Unfortunately, it seems the market simply never developed for the veteran forward, though it is surprising to see such a well-traveled pro (and Patrick Roy’s son-in-law) wind up at the AA level at 31 years old.

Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks To Discuss Extension Next Week

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Though a ton of the focus in Vancouver this offseason has been on the somewhat odd additions they made in free agency, or the performance of top draft pick Quinn Hughes at the World Junior Summer Showcase, there is still plenty of work to be done to keep the organization on the tracks of their rebuild. One of those things is negotiating an extension with star forward Brock Boeser, who is already heading into the final year of his entry-level contract despite having just one full season under his belt in professional hockey.

Since Boeser was already 20 when he signed his first contract out of the University of North Dakota, he burned the first year of his ELC in just those nine games at the end of the 2016-17 season. He’s been eligible to sign an extension since July 1st, and according to Ben Kuzma of The Province the two sides had preliminary discussions last month. They also plan on talking again next week, though GM Jim Benning isn’t putting a deadline on anything:

We haven’t got down to talking term. We plan to circle back and I’m not sure where it’s going to go, but we want to see if we can get somewhere. There’s no time frame on it.

Brock is going to see the best matchup line and best defensive pair, but I don’t expect a drop-off. He has pushed himself hard to pick up where he left off and there are other contracts coming up in the league in the next six months that could drive up the price — I understand that part of it.

Benning is right about the fact that there are several potential extensions coming up around the league that could change the price tag for Boeser. Though he likely won’t quite match up with the mega contracts that Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine are headed for in their negotiations, there is a big group of other players that find themselves in a similar situation to Boeser after performing well early in their careers. Kyle Connor, Sebastian Aho, Matthew Tkachuk, Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner are all wingers who have found incredible success in their first few seasons, and are scheduled for restricted free agency in 2019.

All of them will be looking at other contracts signed by players like David Pastrnak, Nikolaj Ehlers and soon William Nylander as potential starting points but could eclipse the $6-7MM range that each of those players will fall into. Boeser could be the same, especially if he can prove he’s back to full health and can get back on a 40-goal pace to start the season.

There is little worry here that the two sides won’t be able to eventually come to some agreement, but the question is will the Canucks get any sort of discount by betting on Boeser before he’s shown his ability for a second season. With added pressure and tougher defensive matchups, there is always a real possibility that his numbers decline this season. Boeser did after all shoot 16.2% in 2017-18, though the eye test would lead you to believe that he’ll post above-average shooting percentages for his entire career. If that number drops significantly though, the Canucks might be able to parlay a down year into a better deal for themselves. The two sides are in a game of poker at the moment, wondering when to push all their chips to the middle. Whether that happens this summer or much further down the road still is yet to be seen.

Pacific Notes: Flames Forwards, Haula, Horvat

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The Calgary Flames have made quite a few moves this offseason in hopes of reshaping their roster after a dismal second half that saw them out of the playoffs. However, the Flames new signings may have caused other issues that the team will have to deal with in a few years — namely the expansion draft.

The Athletic’s Kent Wilson (subscription required) writes that the team might be in trouble if/when the unnamed Seattle franchise has its expansion draft in 2020. Assuming all the rules are the same as they were for Vegas, Calgary will have a logjam of players at the forward position and won’t have enough spaces to protect some quality players.

Assuming there are no changes among forwards over the next two seasons, the team would likely protect or have to protect Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk, James Neal as six forwards they would likely protect. That would leave one spot open for players like Derek Ryan, Mark Jankowski, Sam Bennett, Andrew Mangiapane and Spencer Foo, which could leave several high quality players exposed to Seattle. Unless the team addresses these issues, the team may be giving Seattle a solid player.

  • Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that the Vegas Golden Knights still haven’t decided on a plan for what they intend to do with second-line center Erik Haula after they signed Paul Stastny away from the Winnipeg Jets this offseason. Haula had a great offensive season, centering the second line with 29 goals and 55 points, but the line (along with the departed Neal and David Perron) struggled defensively. In fact, Vegas’ second line was one of the worst defensive lines in the league. “It produced, but the goals against per 60 minutes was not good enough,” said Vegas general manager George McPhee. “We were actually dead last among second lines in the league. You can just sort of look the other way on that or you can address it. We’re trying to address it.”
  • J.D. Burke of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that he believes that Vancouver Canucks center Bo Horvat should continue to take his game to a new level as he has every year. However, if there is one area of Horvat’s game that could use some upgrading it would be his defensive game as that’s the weakest part of his game. The 23-year-old took his scoring game up a notch last year when he potted 22 goals, an improvement on his previous career-high of 20 goals, but Horvat missed 15 games last year, so to put up a career-high in goals is key. However, with the additions of players like Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel and Tim Schaller, maybe defense won’t be that imperative.

Brock Boeser Camp In No Rush For New Contract

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The Vancouver Canucks signed several veteran forwards in this summer to insulate their young core, bringing in Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle and Tim Schaller on multi-year deals. While that solidifies the roster for the next few years, everyone is watching to see if the team will lock up Brock Boeser long term before he becomes a restricted free agent next summer. Boeser is eligible to sign an extension already, but his agent Ben Hankinson was on Sportsnet radio today explaining that they’re not in a rush to get something done.

I don’t think there’s any rush. Obviously Brock knows he has another year left and he’s going to go out there and play no matter what. He’ll probably be on the ice the next October in 2019 to start that season with a new contract too. Whenever it happens it happens. There’s no rush on our end.

I’d say, without putting a deadline on it, we’d like to get going once the season rolls and just play hockey. But there’s no deadline on it. [Canucks GM] Jim [Benning’s] a very level-headed guy and we have a really good relationship. So I’m not gonna say we won’t talk during the season if we don’t get something done, but who knows, it’s too early to say.

Boeser has been a star for the Canucks since the day he signed with them, scoring in his first NHL game just a day after being eliminated from the NCAA tournament. The young sniper went on to record 29 goals and 55 points in his first full season, though he was limited to just 62 games due to a scary back injury that put him on the shelf in early March. He’ll be back and ready to go in 2018-19, and could set himself up for a huge extension with another big season.

Though Boeser has just one season under his belt he’ll be 22 in February, meaning that entry-level contract will come to an end next summer at which point he could easily eclipse Loui Eriksson and Bo Horvat as the team’s highest-paid forward. He’ll have five years of restricted free agency left, but as we’ve seen with other young stars teams now like to lock up their future right away. If both sides wait until after this season and he puts up another near point-per-game campaign, you can expect him to be asking for a deal somewhere along the lines of David Pastrnak ($6.67MM AAV) or Nikolaj Ehlers ($6.0MM AAV). Where Dylan Larkin and William Nylander land in their respective contract talks will also likely be a good comparison, though there could be an argument that Boeser is an even more valuable piece than either given his impressive goal scoring ability.

If the two sides can reach an agreement this summer the Canucks may be able to keep that cap hit slightly lower given that Boeser still has just 71 games under his belt in the NHL. Vancouver has plenty of cap space to fit Boeser in going forward, especially given that several other key players should be joining the organization in the next few years on entry-level deals.

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