Boeser and the Canadiens: Hughes has a real opportunity to make a big splash on the trade market

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MarcO
December 5, 2022 (5:59 PM)

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It's an issue that is getting more and more attention in the National Hockey League, the Vancouver Canucks have given Brock Boeser permission to find a new destination.

"Friedman (at intermission) says Brock Boeser's representatives have been given permission to talk to other NHL teams, with an eye toward a potential deal." - NHL Watcher

It's very rare to see this kind of talent become available on the trade market and it could be a superb opportunity for Kent Hughes to make a deal similar to the one involving Kirby Dach.

Why the Montreal Canadiens? Because general manager Kent Hughes knows Boeser's agent well (the one who now has the right to find a trading partner to acquire his client), but also because Boeser is still young and could be part of the long-term solution.

There's news

Some observers have been throwing out what seemed like "low" offers to acquire Brock Boeser and it's been the talk of the town, but it looks like they're not that far off in the end.

Friedman on 32TP talking Canucks: "To me there's actually a bigger story here as I think about it 24 hrs later and that is this might be the start of a dismantling. And what I think they're going to do is they're going to say we have to create cap room, we have to change our mix and if that means if we trade Boeser and maybe our return isn't great we still at least create the cap room and I think that's a possibility here".

"It's not going to be an easy trade for the Canucks to make, there's not a lot of teams that have the cap room and the Canucks may have to understand that if they want to make the move they might not get the best return but I think they do understand that"

Wow! So the Canucks would be aware that they won't have the greatest of returns for Boeser, and that's fine with them! Unbelievable...

Boeser, 25, is a 6-foot-1, 210-pound winger who was drafted in the first round in 2015. He has one of the best shots in the entire NHL and his potential is huge.

We're talking about a player who produced at a rate of 40 goals per 82 games (!) in his rookie season with the Canucks. He also produced at rates of 73 and 70 points in his first two seasons. This seems like a great opportunity for a general manager to acquire a good player, at a low price, and make a good move.

More details to come!