Canucks, Boeser push contract talks to end of season

Contract negotiations between the Vancouver Canucks and star forward Brock Boeser are officially on the backburner.

After beginning preliminary discussions about an extension in late August, Canucks general manager Jim Benning said Thursday that the two sides will now wait until the end of the 2018-19 campaign to finalize a deal.

"(Boeser) loves playing in Vancouver and wants to be here long term," Benning told Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet 650. "At the end of the day, we both agreed that he will play out the last year of his entry-level deal. At the end of the year, we'll circle back and figure out a deal long term."

Despite appearing in just 62 games last season, Boeser tied Daniel Sedin for the team lead in scoring with 55 points. His 29 tallies finished second among all rookies, trailing only Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, who netted 31 goals.

That sort of production could mean Boeser is due for a major raise. This season, the 21-year-old will carry a $925,000 cap hit, but he can also pull in another $850,000 in performance bonuses.