The Vancouver Canucks had a stellar season, which doesn't put many team members at risk of leaving. But there is a chance for Brock Boeser to earn a big raise in Vancouver.

As we make our way through the NHL’s 2024 off-season, we’re continuing THN.com’s Hot Seat Radar series with the Vancouver Canucks.

As with the Vegas Golden Knights, the people on the 'hot seat' in this case aren't at risk of leaving their team, but they do face pressure to capitalize on an important opportunity. And the person in the 'cold seat' is in it for the long run and provides tons of value for their team.

Canucks’ Hot Seat: Brock Boeser, RW

On a Vancouver team that thrilled its fans in 2023-24, there aren’t many, if any Canucks players feeling the heat of the hot seat at the moment. That said, Boeser stands out as our pick for this category primarily because he’s entering the final season of a contract that pays him an average annual value of $6.65 million. 

The 27-year-old winger will be a UFA next summer. As someone who generated career highs of 40 goals and 73 points this past season, Boeser should get a significant raise on his next deal.

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin has done well in locking up key members of the team, including stars Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Thatcher Demko and Quinn Hughes. But Boeser's upcoming contract may prove to be pricey for Vancouver. We’re certainly not suggesting Boeser will be traded anytime soon, which is a stark contrast to last off-season, but if he does have a season similar to his last, Boeser could price himself out of the Canucks’ budget. Vancouver has about $1 million in cap space at the moment, and Boeser would be their top pending free agent next summer.

Adding winger Jake DeBrusk could help Vancouver cope with a Boeser-less future, but you’d better believe Boeser will want to stand out in a good way during his contract year to earn a raise. And Vancouver better prepare to offer him enough salary if so. Otherwise, other teams will be lining up to throw money at Boeser.

Canucks’ Cold Seat: Quinn Hughes, D

As the reigning Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, Hughes has given the Canucks incredible value for his $7.85-million annual salary, which runs through the 2026-27 campaign. 

The 24-year-old posted career bests in goals (17), assists (75) and points (92) while appearing in a full 82-game schedule for the first time in his five-year NHL career.

It’ll be difficult for Hughes to improve on those individual numbers, but Vancouver doesn’t need him to. The Canucks have a slew of elite talents like Hughes, so there’s no great amount of pressure on him to do more than he's doing – although he’s already quite good in that regard as a chief play-driver.

When Hughes needs a new contract, he’ll be one of the best-paid blueliners on the planet, and Canucks GM Patrik Allvin must do his part to keep Hughes feeling good about staying with Vancouver over the long haul. 

But considering how well the Canucks played this past season, the sell job on keeping Hughes in a Vancouver jersey shouldn’t be at all that difficult. He’s bound to be paid appropriately, and the Canucks look set to continue to improve, so Hughes will be a cornerstone component of the franchise for the foreseeable future. He could well prove to be a major part of the puzzle that brings Vancouver its first-ever Stanley Cup.

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