Brock Boeser Trade Rumors: Why the Kings Aren't a Likely Destination

With the ongoing drama surrounding the Vancouver Canucks this season, multiple key players have surfaced on the trade market, including Elias Pettersson and JT Miller. Both players are coming off 100-point seasons and could propel an interested and qualifying team toward unprecedented greatness. But that's not who can realistically be on the Kings' radar. Recently, another name emerged from Vancouver: Brock Boeser.

Boeser is a right-shot forward who just had a 40-goal season and would be a prime candidate for any team looking to boost its scoring. Priced at $6.65 million, he is well below his market value. However, he is in the final year of his contract and will likely receive a significant raise in the offseason, whether from the Canucks or another team willing to invest in a 27-year-old, four-time 20+ goal scorer.

Imagining Boeser on a line with Quinton Byfield and Warren Foegele is tantalizing. Opponents would have a tough time against a line featuring this combination. Byfield and Foegele have already established themselves as a competent pair for the Kings, but they need a high-end scoring forward beyond the square peg in a round hole, Kevin Fiala.

Also, Boeser, who has averaged 10+ ppg a season (69 in 521 games played), would become a much-needed boon on the struggling power play. His five goals this year would rank second highest on the Kings.

Is a trade with Vancouver, a division rival, feasible?

The major obstacle is the Drew Doughty contract, which is valued at $10,453,334. Once he is activated—expected to happen today—the cap space the Kings previously enjoyed will quickly disappear. For any trade to work, there would need to be either heavy salary retention from the Canucks or a significant contract going back the other way.

Trevor Moore seems to be the most obvious option since he is one of the few players without a no-trade clause. After a career-best 30-goal season, his trade value has diminished due to injuries and changing linemates—he has gone from playing with Phillip Danault to Anze Kopitar and then with Byfield.

But will Moore and his $4.2 million contract be enough to close the deal? The numbers don't add up, nor does the asking price. If you're Patrik Allvin, you would likely end the conversation right away. For a trade to be initiated, there would need to be higher incentives, such as a first-round pick, to entice those talks.

Any picks or prospects included in the trade would signal an 'all-in' mindset for the franchise, but it also risks derailing their future core, which includes Byfield, Brandt Clarke, and Alex Turcotte. Outside of Liam Greentree, what prospects do the Kings have to develop around their forming future corps?

Given the number of moves that have gone wrong for the franchise, how much more risk can Rob Blake and the management team take while pursuing another championship run with a couple of aging stars?

A move for Boeser would be a fantastic addition, improving the power play and revitalizing the offense—pairing him with Byfield could create a formidable trio for Jim Hiller to deploy. However, if the Kings face a fourth consecutive first-round exit, they risk sacrificing a fragile future for a chance at immediate success.

As a general manager, you must take risks, but you also have to manage future prospects unless you genuinely believe the team can win it all now. In the case of Boeser, it may be wise to temper expectations, recognizing that management might view Doughty's return as a fix for a broken ankle rather than just a sprain.

No pun intended.