NHL Rumor Mill – August 9, 2024
How much could Canucks winger Brock Boeser get on his next contract? Could the Sabres pursue Flyers forward Joel Farabee? Check out the latest in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE PROVINCE: Patrick Johnston looked at what Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser could get on his next contract.

Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser (NHL Images).
Boeser, 27, is coming off the best season of his NHL career, with 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games. He’s in the final season of his three-year contract with a cap hit of $6.65 million, putting him in a strong negotiating position if he repeats last season’s performance.
Johnston argues that Boeser isn’t in the range of the top wingers despite his solid two-way play.
He noted the four players ahead of Boeser on the salary table (Anaheim’s Troy Terry, Minnesota’s Matt Boldy, the New York Islanders’ Anders Lee, and Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog) each carry an average annual value of $7 million.
The next three above them are Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor ($7.142 million), Utah’s Clayton Keller ($7.15 million), and Dallas’ Jason Robertson ($7.75 million).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Johnston believes Boeser will get a raise on his next contract but it could be difficult to determine how much it’ll be.
It could come in between $7 million and $8 million annually on a seven or eight-year deal. However, another 40-goal season ensures it’ll be pushed into the $9 million range for the Canucks and even higher if he tests the open market.
THE BUFFALO NEWS: During a recent mailbag segment, Lance Lysowski was asked if there was a chance the Sabres remain interested in Philadelphia Flyers forward Joel Farabee.
Lysowksi noted the Sabres have $8.4 million in cap space, of which some will go to re-signing forward Peyton Krebs. However, he believes there’s enough left to add an impact player. He suggested packaging defenseman Connor Clifton in a trade for Farabee or Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers.
Farabee also underwent the same artificial disk replacement surgery as former Sabre Jack Eichel, which could concern Sabres owner Terry Pegula.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres could add another forward but their signing of Jason Zucker last month could be all they do for now. They’ll likely assess their roster during training camp and preseason but any further additions could come from within.
Up early today Lyle?
Still wearing rubber boots chrisms? NY City really got nailed. We’re getting the edge of that storm right now – pouring out.
feel free to ship that water out west. Entires chunks of both Canada and the US could use the water.
Parts of Montreal have flooding … and apparently it’s headed to the Maritimes, so get your umbrella out Lyle.
No worries here, George, for once, the worst of it will miss us.
I’m out in ocean city on vaca. Yesterday morning through early afternoon was a washout. Beautiful day today. Parasailing got rescheduled though cause of high winds.
AZHockeyNut, if we could, believe me we would. In fact, we could send 50% of what we’re getting in total ,,, and we’d still get too much!
Weird weather patterns for sure.
Yep, had a seven-hour drive today.
Any Buffalo-Philly trade will be magnified, by the fact that both GMs are under pressure to move their teams forward significantly. Samuellson comes with his injury history, but he’s also a defensive force when he is on the ice. Still not sure about Krebs, considering he’s not spent much time playing with skilled line mates.
Buffalo in need of an offensive upgrade to their forward group! Would they consider trading one of their young defensemen to fill the need?
Ya, that D core could be the best in the NHL real soon. Like dominant. Adding Byrum will help drive offense as well.
The problem the Sabres have scoring is only short term IMO. They have so many good young forwards already and coming they could afford to trade Savoie for a young 3C in MacLeod, who will help them defensively.
They need to keep room these guys in their top 9. All of whom are 23 and under; Cozens, Quinn, Peterka, Benson, Helenius, Kulich, Ostlund. All first rounders except Peterka who put up 50 pts last year.
The internal improvement should be there and hard to fathom that at least some of these guys don’t pop this year and next.
At very least you need to find out.
This team could be dominant in a 2-3 years.
The tending is a still a question, but there too they have excellent prospects and a young starter.
I don’t know about that Ray. Byram and Dahlen are very good and I see Power as taking a step forward this year. But only Dahlen provides significant offence. It’s hard to say about Byram, who had his best season with the offensively strong Avs, and who can’t stay healthy.
As for their forwards, hard to say. Thompson and Tuch and Cozens all fell back last year. Some here got excited about Krebs, who scored 4 goals in an 80 game season.
Their prospect pool is rated very high, as you note, but the problem with prospects is they are just that and even if they hit are, like most prospects, several years from having an impact.
So I’d be surprised if the Sabres made a noticeable step forward any time soon.
I’m not sure about next season either LJ, hence my 2-3 year timeline. Young players take time to have an impact agree 100%.
Not too worried about Cozens and Thompson, I think they get it going again.
I luv Byrum, if he can stay healthy, I see a star. He was outstanding in the back end of the playoffs when they won the cup. Coaches just kept feeding him ice time as the games went on. At key times too. The question is health with him.
But you’re right, until they do it in the NHL, they haven’t. But I would bet on they do.
Sr,
i dont see them moving any of the young Roster d/core in a trade for a forward there Goaltending and GA was top 5 in the East and they are Very young….Scoring is 100% what they need👍
I Could see them moving young 22 yr old Centre
Peyton Krebs and a pick for a scoring forward
maybe Laine at 50% Salary Retained, or they chat with the ducks….❓
If the Flyers move Farabee it should be in a package for Zegras. Then they can move Laughton to Toronto in a deal for Robertson.
Regarding the Ferabee trade possibility, while I doubt his name ever came up in the pre-draft scuttlebuck that the Flyers and Senators were close to a “significant” deal
https://southphillyreview.com/sports/flyers-senators-trade-rumors/
I wonder if that reputed discussion between the two teams is totally dead.
If it was, in fact, Scott Laughton that the Flyers were offering, given that they are currently $829,763 over the cap with 23 players committed to (14F – 7D – 2G), moving his $3 mil cap hit would give them a reserve of $2,170,237.
Then the question becomes, what roster player does Ottawa send the other way – a necessity since they only have a reserve of $1,909,285 – not enough to take on Laughton’s $ 3 mil without sending a significant cap the other way … which defeats the purpose of Philadelphia’s initiative!
A third partner?
Keep an eye on that as the summer moves on.
Philly has Elis LTIR & RYJO LTIR. Thats over 10 mil!!! Plenty of cap space and could eat a bad contract for a year for decent pick or prospect.
Only trade Philly makes is from strength not your perceived weakness due to cap space.
Good points, thanks mp – missed that looking at Puckpedia, which doesn’t make things as clear as did CapFriendly.
So, in the circumstances, perhaps an Ottawa-Philly exchange of some sort is still a distinct possibility.
I would love for Philly & Sens to make a deal. We want picks right now. Maybe something along this scenario?
Laughton for 2nd round pick
Farabee for 1st round pick
We would have to work out the cap part, but those would be the main parts to the deals.
Honestly would prefer to move TK, with MM in Philly the space on the right side is full. Problem is how to fit his new extension into the future plan for the Sens.
Maybe a deal that looks like this
Tk & Laughton for Chabot, 1st, and cap dump to make the numbers work.