The New Jersey Devils have been connected to the Vancouver Canucks all season in terms of trade rumors. The latest has them tied to winger Brock Boeser.
Rumors are what they are. Every year, there is information going all over the place, especially around the NHL Draft and NHL Trade Deadline. This year is no different. In fact, the New Jersey Devils have been tied to the Vancouver Canucks in multiple trade calls. First, it was that the Devils were interested in Connor Garland. Then, it was the Canucks being interested in Pavel Zacha. Now, the Devils are reportedly interested in Brock Boeser.
Boeser is an interesting story in the NHL. The most games he’s ever played in a season is 69 back in 2018-19. Surprisingly, Boeser has never been a 30-goal scorer.
This isn’t to deny his talent and ability. Boeser is a certified goal scorer, and that is exactly what the New Jersey Devils need. The Devils are trying to find scoring to pair with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. They currently have Jesper Bratt who is an obvious top-six winger. Then, you have Alexander Holtz who is tearing it up with the Utica Comets.
The New Jersey Devils have been tied to Vancouver Canucks’ Brock Boeser.
Outside of the two Swedes, the Devils have a lot of question marks on the wing. Tomas Tatar hasn’t exactly solidified himself on either of those lines. Yegor Sharangovich has been better with Hughes as of late, but would anyone really be that surprised if he’s moved to a different line? Andreas Johnsson seems more like a third-line winger. Jimmy Vesey shouldn’t be in the top six at this point in his career. Nathan Bastian is perfect in his role, but the Devils should not be using him on Hischier’s wing. It’s clear that outside of goaltending, this is the Devils’ biggest long-term need.
Boeser fixes a lot of problems for the Devils. What is that worth? Frank Seravalli with Daily Faceoff has been reporting that the Devils could be interested in Boeser. Previous rumors have tied Zacha to the Canucks, and Seravalli brings that up as part of the deal to get Boeser. The issue here is that Zacha’s value does not equal Boeser. As much as the Devils fans are frustrated with Zacha, he does have value. However, it’s not enough value to equal Boeser.
So what else should the Devils add? To be honest, it shouldn’t be anything of incredible value. Don’t add anything like Alexander Holtz or the Devils’ first-round pick. Then it swings wildly in the Canucks favor. The Canucks can pick one or two of the Devils’ second-tier prospects. Think about Nolan Foote and below on our Top 25 prospects list.
The trade chatter is intriguing. The Devils would be smart to target Boeser if the Canucks are looking to change the roster. It sounds like J.T. Miller could return after the Canucks didn’t get the value they were seeking (likely from the New York Rangers). Boeser and Zacha seem like the start of a deal. The Devils have to add more, and the deal could get even bigger. Maybe the Devils want Garland and Boeser. Then the conversation of value changes. Either way, a monster deal seems to be in the works.