The Canucks’ latest direction is turning heads, and it may not stay a Vancouver problem for long.
According to Patrick Johnston of The Province, the team’s owner reportedly wants payroll cut by nearly $20 million this year. That kind of mandate can force a general manager’s hand fast, and Vancouver has already shaved $12 million off its books since the end of last season.
That kind of money squeeze usually signals a team moving into a different phase, and it has pushed two familiar names into the conversation: Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. Both are signed for five more years, but their situations are very different.
Pettersson, with an $11.6 million annual salary, would be a tough trade to pull off even if Vancouver held back a significant chunk of the deal. Boeser is a much cleaner fit at $7.25 million per season, which is why he looks like the more realistic name to watch.
The Canadiens have reportedly had interest in Boeser before, and the fit is easy to understand. The 29-year-old winger put up 48 points last season, even while posting a minus-48 rating on a Canucks team that had a rough year across the board.
For Montreal, the appeal goes beyond just the scoring total. Boeser’s finishing touch could pair well with Ivan Demidov on the second line, giving the young No. 93 a dangerous running mate. And if the Canadiens could get that kind of help in the top six without surrendering a top prospect, that only adds to the appeal.
Boeser is 29, stands 6-foot-4, and has produced 48, 50 and 73 points over the past three seasons.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Fit A Rare NHL Pursuit Fans Need To Watch
Leo Carlssons summer stayed busy long after the contract itself was done, because the five-year, $90 million deal he eventually signed with Anaheim helped reset the market for young NHL talent. Jeff Marek reported that four teams submitted offer sheets for the Ducks center earlier this summer, with the Flyers the only club publicly named, and the ripple effect has already shown up in the way other top prospects are being paid. For Montreal, it is another reminder of how quickly the leagues restricted free agent landscape can shift when one premium young player lands a deal that forces everyone else to take notice.
It also leaves open a question that will matter to Canadiens fans watching the next wave of talent decisions: who else was willing to get aggressive when Carlsson was available? Marek said there is no way to confirm whether Montreal was among the teams involved, but the possibility alone speaks to a rare kind of pursuit that can change a front offices priorities overnight. With young stars becoming more expensive by the month, the Canadiens suddenly fit into a conversation that used to feel more theoretical than real. [Read more 🡒]
Slafkovsky And Demidov Are Giving Canadiens Fans Another Reason To Believe
Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov are becoming one of the more interesting young pairings around the Canadiens, and it starts with how naturally their connection has formed away from the ice. The two forwards have grown close in a way that feels bigger than a simple teammate relationship, built on shared experience, similar personalities and the kind of easy comfort that tends to show up long before it shows up on the scoresheet.
For Montreal, that matters because chemistry is easier to spot when it has roots. Slafkovskys run of bad luck last year, when he lost his car in an accident, became one of those odd little backstories that can help explain how a bond deepens, and their friendship has spilled into their play as well. In a market always hungry for reasons to believe, the sight of two young forwards clicking this naturally gives the Canadiens another hopeful thread to follow. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Real Montembeault Trade Opening
The goaltending market can change in a hurry, and Frederik Andersens injury has done exactly that for Edmonton. With the Oilers now facing an early stretch without him, the ripple effect has brought Samuel Montembeault back into the conversation for Montreal, giving the Canadiens a fresh look at a trade path that seemed to have gone quiet not long ago.
Montembeault had been part of summer trade chatter before, but nothing came together at that time. Now the timing is different, and both sides appear to be revisiting the possibility as Edmonton weighs its short-term crease options and Montreal considers whether this is the kind of opening worth acting on. No deal is in place, but the situation has suddenly become one to watch. [Read more 🡒]