Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens Ideal Suitors For Brock Boeser In Potential Trade
Although the Vancouver Canucks were supposed to take a step forward this year, their disappointing early results have put them in a very difficult position, a position the Montreal Canadiens should investigate.
Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau had originally planned to make Brock Boeser watch the game against the Arizona Coyotes from the pressbox, which raised several brows around the league.
Boeser, who lost his father, Duke, to cancer in May, was clearly upset by the shortsighted decision.
“It was a very important game for me and my family, so when I came in this morning and my name wasn’t on the white board it hurt – it hurt bad,” says Brock Boeser of being an almost healthy scratch on Hockey Fights Cancer night. #Canucks
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) December 4, 2022
As for Boudreau’s reasoning, he simply did not consider the importance of the night and did not factor in Boeser’s tragic history with the disease that has impacted almost every family around the world.
“Didn’t even know” – Bruce Boudreau on if he weighed the fact it was Hockey Fights Cancer night in the decision to scratch Brock Boeser.#Canucks
— Noah Strang (@noahstrang_) December 4, 2022
Boeser did end up playing, but only since Dakota Joshua, who has produced almost three times fewer points than his counterpart, missed the game due to a minor injury.
The 25-year-old forward ended up scoring the game-tying goal, which set up his team for a late 3rd-period win.
The fallout of the decision, not to mention the seemingly stagnant mess in Vancouver, was impossible to ignore.
Boeser, who is on the first season of a three-year, $6.65 million contract, requested a trade.
He’s in the midst of a decent season from a production standpoint, with four goals and 11 assists in 19 games. Throughout his career, Boeser has maintained a very respectable production rate, with 125 goals and 146 assists, good for 271 points in 343 games played.
One thought on @FriedgeHNIC report that Brock Boeser’s agent has permission to find trading partner. That is usually the last resort to getting trade done — after the team has been unable to find a fair deal. Believe the Canucks looked last season and this one.
— Iain MacIntyre (@imacSportsnet) December 4, 2022
Habs Angle
The Canadiens aren’t in a position where they should be actively looking to add veterans to the roster, but Boeser’s frustration with the Canucks could lead to an opportunity for Kent Hughes and Co.
At 25 years old, Boeser could become a player that could cover two very important factors for a team amid a rebuild.
Not only can he act as a mentor for some of the upcoming stars, but he’s also young enough to take part in the long-term vision of the team.
With veterans like Josh Anderson, Jonathan Drouin, Sean Monahan, Evgenii Dadonov, Christian Dvorak, and Mike Hoffman on their trade bait list, the Canadiens could potentially replace them with a younger forward that could provide the team with much-needed secondary scoring.
The Canadiens will have to mind their current salary cap situation, but as they say, where there’s a will there’s a way.
Montreal Canadiens To-Do List Prior To NHL Trade Deadline
The All-Star Skills Competition Is Broken, Here’s How To Fix It
Canadiens Centre Depth Promising, Potentially Solidified By Draft
Canadiens Prospect Lane Hutson Adds To Growing Highlight Reel
Habs Daily: NHL Trade Value, Anderson, Caufield’s Extension
Montreal Canadiens Being Monitored By New Jersey Devils
Key Canadiens Prospects Could Force Kent Hughes’ Hand
Canadiens Mailbag: Monahan, Dubois, NHL Trade Market
Reasons Canadiens Stand To Benefit From Timing Of Horvat Trade
I can see how Boeser is a fit in Montreal, but do not see any of those propose sending back being a player Vancouver would move him for. The Canucks may be willing to move him, but they are not desperate to move him. Unless the Return is a good RHD prospect and/or pucks, I do not see him moving this year.
Is this another Marco d’amico concoction?
I did not write it. But thanks for assuming it’s me.
A 6.65M$ cap hit is slightly more than Brandan Gallagher’s cap hit. When they were scoring at a 30 goals per season pace, it was a fair salary. Unfortunately, for less than 20 goals per season pace, I guess that it becomes a harder sell. Furthermore, other GMs will certainly also consider the reasons why Boeser was to be considered an healthy scratch. When a player underperforms, his value obviously drops in consequence. The trade value of a player with a contract with terms drops even more because of the cap space value.
Authorizing a player’s agent to find a trading partner is almost equivalent of telling the player to work harder. The agent will then face how the mismatch between the player’s performance and the expectations attached to contract he negotiated hinders the trade opportunities. When the agent will report to his client the perception of the other teams, reality will set in.
A unhappy camper are typically traded for another unhappy camper; a underperforming player by another underperforming player. Is Boeser just a unhappy camper? The Canadiens do have a few underperforming players, but I did not see unhappy campers thus far. The fit between the Canadiens and the Canuck is not obvious to me.