Watching one of the team’s best players walk out as an unrestricted free agent is never a fun experience. However, it’s even worse when there is a looming threat of him joining a rival. That’s exactly what the Vancouver Canucks learned could happen to Brock Boeser as he is set to hit the open market in the NHL.
The Canucks haven’t done enough to convince Boeser to stay in Vancouver—neither on the ice nor at the negotiation table. The writing is on the wall for the talented winger, who is reportedly setting his sights on new horizons in the NHL.
The Minnesota Wild are among the favorites to sign Boeser once the NHL‘s free agency opens on July 1st. A fellow native of the Land of 10,000 lakes, Boeser is eyeing a return to his roots in the Gopher State. However, the 28-year-old winger will be open to other options, and there will be a handful of teams interested in acquiring his talents.
The Spoked B is lurking
Once Boeser’s contract with Vancouver expires on the first day of July, the Canucks will have no say, whatsoever, in the star’s decision. However, if they could ask for one thing, they would probably want Boeser to sign anywhere but one place in particular: Boston.
Brock Boeser #6 of the Vancouver Canucks in NHL action against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena on February 8, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada.
“The Boston Bruins are planning a significant push to sign [Boeser]. The Bruins went hard for him last summer and even before that,” an NHL source told RG. “They tried again at the NHL Trade Deadline but then decided to be sellers instead. They were looking at him again, but then things went south fast, and they were sellers. They like him a lot and will go after him, but they’re one of many.”
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So many options
Based on the reports from RG, the Bruins share the same interest as the Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, Utah Mammoth, Detroit Red Wings, and Montreal Canadiens.
Boeser will weigh every offer before making a final decision. And while the return to Minnesota might be very attractive in hindsight, Boeser would be joining another franchise desperate for its first Stanley Cup, similar to the pressure he experienced in Vancouver.
Might want to think it twice
Moreover, every franchise outside the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area seems to be trying to steer the winger away from the Wild—seemingly using some kind of reverse psychology argument.
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“It’s been proven before that the pressure of coming home can hurt a player,” RG’s article added. “I think the Bruins and those other teams are going to stress that.”
