Red Wings Linked to Canucks' Disgruntled Forward in Free-Agency Move

As the Detroit Red Wings enter a ninth consecutive offseason without a playoff appearance, general manager Steve Yzerman could be starting to run out of time to make things work in Motown.

Max Bultman of The Athletic thinks “Detroit’s scoring depth is still a real concern,” as he claimed in a column published after the final game of the regular season on April 15.

“This one probably goes without saying, as Detroit’s playoff drought stretches to nine years while (Dylan) Larkin approaches his 29th birthday and (Alex) DeBrincat is now within two years of unrestricted free agency,” Bultman wrote. “But we’ll say it anyway: the Red Wings can’t afford to let this drought continue to drag.”

That said and to fix that issue, Bultman believes the Red Wings should chase a particular upcoming free agent to bolster their forward corps, that target being Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) talks with Brock Boeser (6) at Rogers Arena.Bob Frid-Imagn Images

“Certainly, there are some free agent forwards to consider, whether it’s Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Brock Boeser or Nikolaj Ehlers,” Bultman wrote. “But whether it’s one of those players or someone else, what the Red Wings can’t do is just run this back and expect internal improvements to take care of everything.

”This team needs more of a jolt than that.”

Bultman mentioned Boeser, 28, who is coming off a 25-goal, 50-point season in Vancouver and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

While Boeser has not publicly confirmed plans to leave, he admitted talks for an extension have stalled.

“Honestly, it’s unlikely at this point,” Boeser said. “It sucks, it’s unfortunate. I’m just trying to play good hockey, and then I’ll worry about everything after that.”

Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser (6) talks face-off strategy with teammates Quinn Hughes (43) and Aatu Raty (54).Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Contract negotiations with the Canucks reportedly faltered over term length, and Boeser acknowledged uncertainty ahead of the offseason.

“We’ll see what happens,” Boeser said. “I’m sure they’ll talk with my agent after the season and see if anything can come to an agreement or not.”

Detroit finished the year with a 39–35–8 record and fell short of the playoffs by five points in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. The Red Wings averaged 2.87 goals per game, which ranked 22nd in the NHL.

Boeser, a two-time NHL All-Star with a 40-goal season to his name, could provide the scoring punch Detroit lacked down the stretch and help the Red Wings make the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Red Wings Linked to Canucks’ Disgruntled Forward in Free-Agency Move

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