Yeah I’d keep Joel for sure

Yea it's not even close now, Ek >> Boeser. Funny how most of us Wild fans thought it was a mistake at the time by Fletcher... now they have a Selke-caliber guy around for the next 7 years at least.

Value aside, isn't the Wild already too short at center and too crowded at wing?

I don’t think Canucks would be interested in a trade like that. If they’re moving Boeser a RHD would be coming back

I was one of those fans and I couldn't be happier that I was wrong. JEE is a stud, good regular season player but the dude just brings it in the playoffs. Very happy we ended up with him over Boeser.

Honestly, it depends what you're looking for in a player.

Clearly Fletcher was looking for a good two way center but think that if you drafted Boeser then you could have a Boeser - Rossi - Kaprizov line that would score.

Utlimatley though it's the phylosify in two different organizations and I think that both are equally fine and a trade between them now wouldn't make sense as they are fundamentally different players.

This trade doesn’t make sense for either side. The Wild are short and centers and have a lot of wingers. The Canucks are short on scoring wingers and have a lot of good centers

Off ice problems have hurt Boeser’s production. His dad dealing with dementia and decline in health is definitely bad for Boeser’s mental health. JEE is a great player but when Boeser is on top of his game like he was last season, he is lethal and his better than JEE. Obviously can’t say that after this rough season but it’s been clear that he hasn’t been focused on hockey this season

That sucks to hear, I'm sure it has effected him immensely. And really the comparison is kind of dumb to begin with anyway - one is a center, one is a winger. Accounting for each's overall game, I could see an argument that they are about even. Boeser has more scoring prowess, but Ek is a fiend physically, defensively, and in front of the opposing net. I might be biased, but no way is Boeser just straight up better.

I would say that Boeser held the edge until this past season. Eriksson Ek probably had the best season either player has had up to this point in their careers, and he plays a more important Role so IMO he has more value right now. Good AAV as well compared to what Boeser will likely sign.

It will be interesting to see if Boeser ever gets back to the scoring pace he had in the early part of his career.

I think another player swap you could post in the same vein is Mikael Grandlund vs Kevin Fiala

Boeser is always going to score more, but Eriksson Ek is an extremely proficient shut down center that can chip in 40-50 points as well, is a leader, is a warrior, and is a center. I wouldn't hold it against anyone who would rather have Boeser, but I stood by the Eriksson Ek pick then, and I stand by it now.

Boeser had a much better start to his career than Ek, but unless the Sedin twins had finished their careers in MN, he wouldn’t have posted those numbers playing for the Wild.

Not sure if you would have followed it but Boeser's dad is dying slowly and experiencing dementia. Brock literally broke down in tears when asked about it at the exit meetings. Combine that with the back injury he sustained in the final game of his rookie yr and Ek all of a sudden looks the better pick but it's more down to bad luck then being a better player. Boeser was faster, shot harder and looked like a perennial 40 goal man before the back injury. Now he just relies on offensive instincts and is more a stat stuffer guy than amazing overall player. He's still pretty good though.

I’m aware of the injuries and family stuff. My point wasn’t Ek is better. My point was that while a lot of fans were upset when Brock was putting up big numbers his rookie year, he probably wouldn’t have done the same playing with the likes of Coyle, Nino, Koivu or Matt Cullen. He most likely would have been slotted on the third line and seen limited pp time.

I disagree with the usage, but agree that the production overall would have been lower because of the talent disparity. He still would have gotten top 6 minutes and 1PP time if for nothing else than his shot and his handedness alone.

Oh no he was a star out of the gate. Undeniably. A much more electrifying player than he is now.

I'd say when healthy, both players bring about the same degree of impact