SENSNEWS

With the NHL Draft coming up in just a couple of days, the Ottawa Senators will quickly shift their focus to July 1st and the opening of free agency. One name we have heard a little bit about, is forward Brock Boeser.

What’s Going On With Claude Giroux

Now, the Senators still have some business to take care of with their own roster—the most pressing, of course, being signing Claude Giroux to an extension.

Although nothing is guaranteed, it does sound like the two sides will be able to come to an agreement and get Giroux back in Ottawa on a contract that is heavily bonus-focused.

Look at Jonathan Toews’ most recent contract as a measuring stick.

However, if and when Giroux is extended, the Ottawa Senators will be pressed for cap space.

Ottawa Senators Linked To Brock Boeser

Given the makeup of the current roster, they won’t be able to go big-game hunting—but it does sound like they’re interested in some of the top free agents available.

If that ends up being the case, and if they’re able to make a contract work, it would likely mean that someone would need to be traded.

That said, there has been no clear indication of which Senators—if any—are on the trade block at this point.

With that in mind, I want to take a look at a specific name that has been linked to the team: Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks.

Brock Boeser Five On Five

Boeser is an intriguing player who checks a lot of the boxes the Senators are looking to fill.

Last season, arguably the Senators’ biggest weakness was generating five-on-five offense.

Ottawa was among the worst teams in the league in this regard, and it’s an area they are determined to address if they want to take the next step as an organization.

Boeser would help tremendously in that department. He has consistently been a strong five-on-five goal scorer throughout his career.

With his totals last season, he would have ranked second on the Senators—just behind Adam Gaudette.

Brock Boeser Statistics

Last season with the Vancouver Canucks, Boeser put up a respectable 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points in 75 games.

He’s also just one year removed from a 40-goal, 70-point campaign with the Canucks.

At 28 years old, he’s still in the prime of his career and should have about five more years of high-end production.

Brock Boeser Contract

The word out of Vancouver is that Boeser is looking for a deal in the $8 million range, likely with a term of six years or more.

The Canucks were unwilling to go that far, and now it appears Boeser will try to find his ideal contract in free agency.

The challenge for Ottawa is that they would likely need to outbid other teams, meaning a contract north of $8 million and possibly up to seven years in length.

It’s a risky deal because Boeser has been somewhat inconsistent throughout his career in Vancouver.

We know he has 40-goal potential, but he’s also had seasons where he scores in the mid-20s.

Ottawa would need him to consistently be at least a 30-goal scorer to justify that kind of money.

Brock Boeser Connection To Travis Green

That said, there’s reason to believe he could return to an elite level.

The most productive years of Boeser’s career came in Vancouver under the Senators’ current head coach, Travis Green.

The two clearly got along, and Boeser was able to thrive within Green’s system.

This connection is likely a big reason why the Senators have reportedly expressed interest.

The coaching staff has a relationship with a player who has performed very well under their guidance.

But the issue remains: to afford Boeser at that dollar figure, moves would have to be made.

There’s almost a 0% chance the Senators could sign Boeser under their current cap structure—even if they don’t re-sign Claude Giroux.

Does Boeser Make Sense For Ottawa?

For that reason, I’d say the odds of Boeser signing in Ottawa seem quite unlikely.

It wouldn’t necessarily be a terrible contract to offer, but there’s a lot of risk involved and significant roster reshuffling would be required.

It feels far more likely that the Senators make a significant splash via trade—or more likely still, they bring back a very similar roster to last year with a few minor tweaks and hope for internal growth.

Senators Need Growth From Fabian Zetterlund

The Senators will be counting on a player like Fabian Zetterlund to take a big step in his second season with the team.

We know he has the potential to be a 25-goal scorer or more.

Last season was a rough one for Zetterlund after coming to Ottawa at the trade deadline.

However, with a full year in a top-six role alongside elite playmakers such as Tim Stützle or Drake Batherson, Zetterlund should be able to elevate his game.

As the old saying goes, sometimes the best moves in free agency are the ones you don’t make.

For Ottawa, that may have to be the philosophy heading into the offseason.