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The Vancouver Canucks are being urged to pursue a deal for Mavrik Bourque of the Dallas Stars. The 25-year-old versatile forward is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. After posting a career-high 41 points during the 2025-26 season, Bourque will likely earn a significant pay raise in the offseason. The forward earned $950K for the most recent campaign.

According to The Athletic, Bourque’s projected AAV in his next deal will be around $4.9 million. This could be a problem for the Stars. Puckpedia.com currently has Dallas’s projected cap space at just over $10 million. While this would be space enough to afford Bourque, the Stars are likely prioritizing an extension for superstar winger Jason Robertson. If so, Dallas is not expected to afford both players.

The Athletic’s Thomas Drance believes that targeting Bourque would be a smart move for Vancouver. “Bourque will be expensive to acquire, and to extend long-term (and signing him to a long-term front-loaded deal would be a critical part of this strategy), but his ability to add value in big minutes — and with featured power-play time — on a rebuilding team over the next few seasons is as straightforward as it gets,” writes Drance.

The Canucks currently have nearly $22 million in projected cap space. As a result, Vancouver could quite easily afford to give Bourque a suitable contract. The Canadian club also has a plethora of attractive draft picks over the next few years to use in a potential trade with Dallas.

Vancouver Canucks Have Been Linked to Mavrik Bourque Before

GettyMavrik Bourque would fill a clear positional need for the Vancouver Canucks.

Drance is not the first NHL insider to link Bourque to the Vancouver Canucks. Jeff Marek previously claimed that the club should look to acquire the young forward back in January. “Make no mistake about it, Mavrik Bourque is an excellent hockey player,” Marek said at the time. “If I’m going through a rebuild… I would look at Mavrik Bourque over taking a first-round pick from the Dallas Stars all day long.”

Not only would the Canucks land a quality, young player, but he would fill a significant roster need. Acquiring a top-six forward has been named as Vancouver’s top priority this summer. The club will likely select a young forward with the third-overall pick in the upcoming draft. However, whoever they select may not be ready to truly contribute at the NHL level for a couple of years.

Vancouver Could Become Top Trade Partner With Dallas

One particularly interesting tidbit from Drance is that the Vancouver Canucks could move Bourque to the center position. The youngster mostly featured on the wing for Dallas during his first two NHL seasons. Nevertheless, he was considered a playmaking center during his time as a youth prospect.

While the Canucks are likely interested in Bourque, they are not alone. The youngster has been linked with several teams in recent weeks, including the Detroit Red Wings. Vancouver, however, could have an advantage in the situation due to their attractive draft picks, lack of financial issues, and the willingness to deploy Bourque at center.