The Detroit Red Wings should ‘run it back’ with the Vancouver Canucks.
Nobody quite knows what the Vancouver Canucks are doing. Vancouver sent their captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders this past season ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline. The Canucks secured a first-round pick in the deal and used that, along with a second-round selection, to add Filip Hronek from the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit also sent a fourth-round choice back to the Canucks in the deal, but landing the No. 17th overall pick in the upcoming draft is a massive windfall for Yzerman and the Red Wings.
I know many of you are expecting to see J.T. Miller here, but at 30 years old and his recent eight-year $56-million extension that he signed this past season really doesn’t warrant the assets that would be required to part with to secure his services.
The Detroit Red Wings need to consider adding winger Brock Boeser. I mentioned this months ago before the NHL Trade Deadline, and it didn’t go over well among Detroit Red Wings fans. Although Boeser doesn’t move the needle for many, he does check a few boxes.
He’s a 20-plus goal scorer in four of his six full seasons with the Canucks. This past season, Boeser’s goal-scoring dipped a bit, but he still achieved 18 goals and 55 points over 74 games. That production followed back-to-back 23-goal seasons, and he did record 29 goals as a rookie. Boeser is only 26 years old, so he does fit Detroit’s time frame to compete. He’s due a steep $6.65 million annually over the next two seasons, but it is endurable. The Detroit Red Wings will have roughly $ 30 million in cap space this off-season.
A change of scenery may do Boeser a world of good. The Detroit Red Wings need to add another right-handed forward, as the only two currently rostered are David Perron and Lucas Raymond. Boeser isn’t in the same category as Alex DeBrincat or Clayton Keller, and he is not a pest or physical like Konecny. Still, he could be a nice consolation prize if nothing materializes with those forwards.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted during the season that Boeser’s agent Ben Hankinson had been granted permission to speak with other teams about a potential trade. This is something the Detroit Red Wings need to explore.