Brock Boeser
Position: RW
Age: 28
Statistics: 18 goals, 17 assists, 35 points in 50 games
Contract: Final year of $6.65 million contract; pending unrestricted free agent
Player Overview
For years, New Jersey has seemingly had rumored interest in Vancouver Canucks’ winger Brock Boeser. Vancouver is having a disappointing season and currently fighting for the final wild card spot out west. The Canucks already traded J.T. Miller amid reports of locker room conflict, and with Boeser set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer at age 28, it certainly seems as though he could be available for the right price.
As for New Jersey, it is no secret the Devils need some additional goal scoring punch. The Devils sit just 13th in the league in goals scored. It was recently reported that GM Tom Fitzgerald is looking to add at least two forwards before next week’s deadline, per Kristy Flannery of The Hockey Writers.
Boeser, a former first-round pick, is a pure goalscorer. As you can see in his Evolving Hockey three-year player profile below, Boeser generates plenty of offense at even strength, but is not much of a defender. He ranks in just the sixth percentile over the past three seasons. Boeser has netted 20-plus goals five times in his career including a career-high 40 last season.
Boeser is shooting 17.6% this season, the second-highest mark of his career. However, there should not be much fear of regression. His career 14.1 shooting percentage is still a great level, and Boeser shot over 19% last season. For a player in his prime years, this seems like a sustainable level for the pure goalscorer Boeser is.
However, despite his great offensive numbers, Boeser profiles as more of a middle-six option, since Vancouver (and likely New Jersey) do not want him on the ice against the opponent’s top line.
Boeser also is a quality power play option, having scored at least five power play goals in each full season of his career. He is well on his way to a third double-digit power play goal season in the past four seasons with seven tallies already this year.
Boeser has been productive in his two trips to the postseason as well. In the 2020 playoffs in “The Bubble,” Boeser put up four goals and 11 points in 17 games. Last season, Boeser netted seven goals and 12 points in 12 games.
Contract Situation
Boeser is in the final year of his current contract worth $6.65 million per season. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of season. With his contract set to expire this summer, salary retention should be no issue to make the cap space work. Vancouver has one more salary retention slot available, per PuckPedia.
Although the salary cap is expected to go up from $88 million to $95.5 million, per PuckPedia, Boeser would likely be a pure rental as Luke Hughes will be due a fairly sizable raise from his $925,000 entry-level contract, eating up most of that space.
Potential Package
So far, many of the trades made this season, such as the J.T. Miller or Mikko Rantanen deals, have included a player as part of the return. With the Devils unlikely to want to move current pieces off the active roster, they will be trading prospects and draft picks. Even an aging player like Ondrej Palat has a no-trade clause and would have to approve a deal.
Looking at last year’s deadline, New Jersey got a second and third-round pick in return for Tyler Toffoli, who was also a pending UFA. Toffoli, a career 11.6% shooter, was 31 and shooting 14.5% in New Jersey. Boeser, at four years younger, with better career and season shooting percentages, would likely command a higher asking price.
However, that does not mean the Devils would necessarily have to move a first-round pick. In his tenure as Devils general manager, Tom Fitzgerald has only traded a first-round pick twice, sending New Jersey’s 2023 first rounder San Jose as part of the Timo Meier deal. Fitzgerald also dealt his 2025 first rounder to Calgary for Jacob Markstrom. Given that Markstrom had two years left on his deal and Meier was only set to become a restricted free agent so the Devils could match any offer, Fitzgerald would likely be hesitant to include a first with no future control on Boeser.
Therefore, with New Jersey holding three second-round picks in the 2025 draft, Fitzgerald would likely try to start with a second rounder and add on more assets. That could include sending two seconds to Vancouver and maybe a late round pick such as a fourth or fifth rounder. The Devils have an extra fourth rounder in the 2026 draft.
New Jersey could also include prospects such as forward Josh Filmon or defenseman Topias Vilen. Again, it is very unlikely the Devils would include their more highly-regarded prospects like Seamus Casey or Simon Nemec for a pure rental.
All in all, a package for Boeser might look something like New Jersey’s own 2025 second, New Jersey’s 2026 second, and Dallas’ 2026 fourth. If bidding gets much higher than that, the Devils may pivot to a cheaper option to bolster the forward-corps.
Potential Fit With The Devils
On paper, Boeser fits in seamlessly with the Devils. His 17.6% shooting percentage would be the second-best mark among New Jersey regulars, only behind Paul Cotter’s 18.8%. Even Boeser’s career mark of 14.1% would rank fifth.
Boeser would slot into a middle-six winger role, potentially playing alongside one of Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes. This would likely demote Ondrej Palat or Stefan Noesen to the third line. Boeser himself could also slot into the third line alongside Dawson Mercer or another forward acquisition.
Boeser would also be a great option as a one-timer threat on the power play. New Jersey could fit him on the top unit if they moved Jesper Bratt down to the second unit. However, with the power play currently third in the league at 27.9%, it’s more likely Boeser would join Timo Meier and Luke Hughes on a very dangerous second unit.