Canucks fans want to know how to fix the forwards

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If you came away from the Vancouver Canucks’ dud of a trade deadline wondering what the plan is for the forward lines, you’re not alone.

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Canucks GM Patrik Allvin had few answers last week to what went wrong, other than the offers for the players he was willing to trade weren’t good enough. And any moves he might have wanted to make to reset the team’s collection of forwards were obviously contingent on those moves, since the Canucks had so few trade chips of their own to work with.

They weren’t going to trade Jonathan Lekkerimäki or Tom Willander, their two prized prospects. The team could have traded its own first round pick, but at this point that would have seemed foolish — they’re just a playoff bubble team after all. They did have cap space to use so surely they could have found a way to weaponize that, but they didn’t.

The odd thing about all this is that Allvin did a very good job resetting his depth corps with the J.T. Miller trade. There is little doubt the back end — now with Marcus Pettersson, Victor Mancini and Junior Pettersson in the mix — is better than it was.

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That’s a good thing. But up front? Fans and media have questions.

What’s the likelihood Canucks can land a top-tier or second-tier forward in free agency to address their scoring needs?

— JR, via BlueSky

I assume this isn’t Jim Rutherford giving me some test?

This is tough. Mitch Marner is the obvious biggest prize of the pending unrestricted free agents — but will he make it to free agency? Nikolaj Ehlers is the next most exciting player out there, but do the Canucks want another small forward? Should that matter?

There are some veterans out there, such as Matt Duchene and John Tavares.

So, sure, they could try that route, but a trade still feels more likely.

Could Brock Boeser’s recent medical issues (blood clot, concussion) be affecting his play, and is that an issue going forward?

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— Michael Paweska, via BlueSky

I really don’t think so. He scored two goals in the four-game stretch after Miller was traded.

He has not played well because he was in his head when close to the trade deadline. He’s admitted as much.

Boeser is now also not playing with the centre he was essentially joined at the hip with for the better part of two seasons. He had adjusted himself to play a very direct, north-south game with Miller.

Playing with Elias Pettersson is different — especially when Pettersson is struggling.

Pettersson does seem to have his spark back, so maybe that ignites Boeser, too.

In the end, Boeser knows how to win pucks, and where the goals are scored. He hasn’t scored at the career clip he has — roughly a 30 goals per 80 games pace — by accident.

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Boeser: seems like a genuine nice guy. Loyal Canuck. Loves our city. How much does that help get him a contract when he’s also slowing down and having an off year? All that said, it’s a business, yet fan loyalty does matter. Can they meet in the middle somewhere? — Bob Doublina

That pretty clearly has been management’s angle on this. They know how much Boeser loves this place. The city has done him right. He loves the setting, the outdoors. The energy of the fans.

But he knows his skill set is coveted. It is why he’s stood his ground in contract negotiations. It’s why he thought he was getting traded.

The slump, though, could work against him where there once was a five-year deal here, does that become a lesser deal?

Or does he find his way back to his past form, score a ton of goals down the stretch drive and into the playoffs?

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If he does that, that will further juice his value.

Don’t forget, he had seven goals in 12 playoff games last year, including a hat trick that basically single-handedly won the Canucks Game 4 against Nashville.

Sure, he’s slow and is not a hard-edged player. That’s why he’s not an elite player. But he’s still a very good player. He plays smart hockey. He scores big goals. He’s a great teammate.

Some team is going to value that.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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