Could There Be Unexpected Turn of Events in Brock Boeser Free Agency?

Ever since the Vancouver Canucks were prematurely sent packing and headed home for the season after a chaotic year, speculation has been intense that pending free agent and lifelong Canucks forward Brock Boeser had seen his last days on the Canadian West Coast. Heck, he even said so himself.

But as reported by Patrick Johnston in the Vancouver Province this weekend, GM Patrik Allvin is still holding out hope that he can bring Boeser back.

While the management team had already said that Boeser has “earned the right to explore free agency”, it seems that a bit of a recalibration may be taking place as the team considers its urgent need for scorers up front.

Could Brock Boeser still possibly return to the Canucks?

Allvin changed his tune at an event with Canucks season ticket holders on Friday. He told the crowd that the door is still open for Boeser to return.

We’re going to see if there’s a chance to keep Brock Boeser.

The 28-year-old has spent his entire nine-year career there, and he loves living and playing in Vancouver.

But there are still a number of sticking points to get past, including:

The Canucks are said to have offered a five-year extension at an $8 million AAV, while Boeser's camp feels they can get a longer-term deal on the open market for the six-time 20-goal scorer.
Allvin made some ill-advised comments to the media right after the trade deadline, openly suggesting that Boeser's value was only generating low-ball offers.

The top-six forward finished this past season with 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games, down from his 40-goal and 73-point output the previous year.

It'll be interesting to see if Boeser's desire to remain in Vancouver outweighs the baggage and the potential lack of term being offered. Johnston concludes by wondering if one last attempt at signing him will be "a case of too-little, too-late?"