Around the NHL 2024-2025

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I have a hard time seeing Edmonton being able to put the right pieces in place around Draisaitl and McDavid once McDavid gets $16M+ next season. This season may be Edmonton's last shot.

They're looking at $50-55M tied up in McDavid, Draisaitl, Bouchard, and Nurse. They don't draft particularly well and have emptied the cupboard.

It feels like one of those situations where if you're Edmonton you feel like you have to sign him long term, but you do have to wonder if a team can be viable with so much cap tied up in so few players.

 

[SirPaste]

8x14M for Draisaitl in Edmonton.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1830976637984481481

Sounds about right, pretty crazy they are going to have about $30m tied up in 2 players in the near future.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

What does McDavid get, 15?

 

[Stealth JD]

McDavid would be foolish to re-sign in EDM. If he took $16M, Nurse would almost have to be waived/traded. They’d need a whole lot of $1M-$3M guys to outperform their contracts to ice a competitive squad.

Draisaitl at $14M…could they even get value back in a trade? If they could raid the Devils or Sabers in a trade, maybe that’s the best way to get Connor a Cup in EDM…don’t know how they do it otherwise.

 

[TheDizee]

What does McDavid get, 15?

atleast 16

 

[Frenzy31]

Makes the Thomas and Kyrou deals look great. I mean LD is better than RT, but 6 million better???

That is the cost of a number 2 dman.

I happy for the Oiler fans, though I really can’t stand a number of their posters. But it does make you wonder about depth.

 

[Brian39]

McDavid would be foolish to re-sign in EDM. If he took $16M, Nurse would almost have to be waived/traded. They’d need a whole lot of $1M-$3M guys to outperform their contracts to ice a competitive squad.

Draisaitl at $14M…could they even get value back in a trade? If they could raid the Devils or Sabers in a trade, maybe that’s the best way to get Connor a Cup in EDM…don’t know how they do it otherwise

$16M x 8 years is $128M. Even if he signed a 7 year deal in a better tax location and is confident that he could eventually get $10M for his age 37 season down the line, we're still talking about him needing to get a $16M AAV elsewhere to match the real dollars he'd earn on a $16M x 8 year deal in Edmonton.

Are there really an abundance of places he can go to get that money that will be better able to contend than Edmonton? Even with a rising cap, are we going to see a bunch of good teams with $16M of cap space lying around?

Let's assume that the cap goes up another $7M by the start of the 2026/27 season (year 1 of a McDavid extension). Edmonton currently has $56M in cap space for that season. Nurse is an awful contract, but the only other deals on the books for that season are Drai, Hyman, RNH, and Janmark. Assuming McDavid and Bouchard eat up $26M of that, you are still talking about $30M to fill out the roster.

Will it be tight? Absolutely. But I don't see a potential destination that will have a comparable 2C/1D, better supporting cast, and more cap space to fill the holes. He'll be entering his age 30 season as he goes to UFA, so I can't imagine he would want to go to a team 'on the rise' that might need a season or two before the existing core really becomes Cup ready.

Edmonton is going to have a hard time building a supporting cast, but I think most teams able to offer him $16M will have that problem. Nurse is a really painful contract, but I think Drai at $14M absolutely helps build a contender around McDavid better than a huge number of ways you can spend $14M.

 

[Brian39]

Makes the Thomas and Kyrou deals look great. I mean LD is better than RT, but 6 million better???

That is the cost of a number 2 dman.

I happy for the Oiler fans, though I really can’t stand a number of their posters. But it does make you wonder about depth.

I'd trade Thomas and any D man on our roster (and their contracts) for Drai (and this extension) 100 times out of 100. And I say that as someone who has loved the Thomas contract since day 1 and spent last season pounding the drum for Thomas as a sleeper Selke-caliber player.

Edmonton is going to have problems building a supporting cast, but I do believe that Drai is the caliber of player that is worth re-setting the market for.

He had a poor Final, but he is a proven playoff stud. He has 41 goals and 108 points in 74 career playoff games. He has been above a point per game player in each of his 6 career playoff appearances. He's a top 5 player in the league in the regular season and playoffs. I'd absolutely take him over Thomas and a market-rate #2 D man.

 

[joe galiba]

I'd trade Thomas and any D man on our roster (and their contracts) for Drai (and this extension) 100 times out of 100. And I say that as someone who has loved the Thomas contract since day 1 and spent last season pounding the drum for Thomas as a sleeper Selke-caliber player.

Edmonton is going to have problems building a supporting cast, but I do believe that Drai is the caliber of player that is worth re-setting the market for.

He had a poor Final, but he is a proven playoff stud. He has 41 goals and 108 points in 74 career playoff games. He has been above a point per game player in each of his 6 career playoff appearances. He's a top 5 player in the league in the regular season and playoffs. I'd absolutely take him over Thomas and a market-rate #2 D man.

Thomas/Parayko vs Drai and someone like Kessel or Perunovich

I think I would lean towards Thomas and Parayko

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Hhhhmmmmm....I see the NHL has manipulated a deal that will ensure the Edmonton Oilers never lift another Cup.

 

[SirPaste]

What does McDavid get, 15?

16 at least

 

[Frenzy31]

I w

I'd trade Thomas and any D man on our roster (and their contracts) for Drai (and this extension) 100 times out of 100. And I say that as someone who has loved the Thomas contract since day 1 and spent last season pounding the drum for Thomas as a sleeper Selke-caliber player.

Edmonton is going to have problems building a supporting cast, but I do believe that Drai is the caliber of player that is worth re-setting the market for.

He had a poor Final, but he is a proven playoff stud. He has 41 goals and 108 points in 74 career playoff games. He has been above a point per game player in each of his 6 career playoff appearances. He's a top 5 player in the league in the regular season and playoffs. I'd absolutely take him over Thomas and a market-rate #2 D man.

I wouldn’t even consider it. You win with depth.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

I w


I wouldn’t even consider it. You win with depth.

Me neither. This deal stinks and the Edmonton Oilers continue to demonstrate how idiotic they are. Then again, which others teams will have the cap to accommodate this market force?

This whole thing stinks and reinforces my willful obliviousness just so I can enjoy hockey.

 

[jjniner]

Offer sheet Bouchard!

 

[Celtic Note]

I w


I wouldn’t even consider it. You win with depth.

But not without talent.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Offer sheet Bouchard!

No thank you.

I'm not giving away 2 unprotected 1st rounds, a 2nd, and a 3rd. (We can't anyways because we dont have a 2nd this next season so we would have to hit the bracket where we give up 4 unprotected 1sts.)

 

[Dr Robot]

I had done some math a while back and want to say i came up with Drai being an 80 point player without McDavid. I’ll see if i can figure out what i based that on. McD both re-made that franchise and inadvertently destroyed it.

 

[Reality Czech]

McDavid would be foolish to re-sign in EDM. If he took $16M, Nurse would almost have to be waived/traded. They’d need a whole lot of $1M-$3M guys to outperform their contracts to ice a competitive squad.

Draisaitl at $14M…could they even get value back in a trade? If they could raid the Devils or Sabers in a trade, maybe that’s the best way to get Connor a Cup in EDM…don’t know how they do it otherwise.

I got hammered on the trade boards any time I suggested the Oilers trade Draisaitl, but I honestly think it was the best way to turn that team into a Cup favorite. I know it's tough to trade A+ superstars but they could have filled a lot of holes on that roster with a Draisaitl trade. Guess it's too late now.

I'd expect McD to stick around but who knows. I do think Connor will get his Cup one way or another. Stars on that level always do at some point. But I do not envy Bowman trying to figure out that cap situation.

 

[tfriede2]

No thank you.

I'm not giving away 2 unprotected 1st rounds, a 2nd, and a 3rd. (We can't anyways because we dont have a 2nd this next season so we would have to hit the bracket where we give up 4 unprotected 1sts.)

We didn’t have the 2nd to offer sheet Broberg either…until we did.

 

[TheOrganist]

McDavid would be foolish to re-sign in EDM. If he took $16M, Nurse would almost have to be waived/traded. They’d need a whole lot of $1M-$3M guys to outperform their contracts to ice a competitive squad.

Draisaitl at $14M…could they even get value back in a trade? If they could raid the Devils or Sabers in a trade, maybe that’s the best way to get Connor a Cup in EDM…don’t know how they do it otherwise.

I would love it if he went elsewhere like Gretzky, as unlikely as it is…it’s terrible for the league if he plays his entire career in the outpost of Edmonton.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

We didn’t have the 2nd to offer sheet Broberg either…until we did.

True, but I don't think Oilers will be as accommodating as the Pens were in helping us to offer sheet the Oilers. EDIT- NVM. as @Brockon pointed out, I am misremembering here. Pens again have the pick we need. Sorry.

 

[Thallis]

No thank you.

I'm not giving away 2 unprotected 1st rounds, a 2nd, and a 3rd. (We can't anyways because we dont have a 2nd this next season so we would have to hit the bracket where we give up 4 unprotected 1sts.)

Edmonton also easily matches anything that isn't 4 first as compensation

 

[Xerloris]

8x14M for Draisaitl in Edmonton.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1830976637984481481

Thank god he took that huge discount that Oiler fans said Broberg and holloway were greedy for not taking.

$16M x 8 years is $128M. Even if he signed a 7 year deal in a better tax location and is confident that he could eventually get $10M for his age 37 season down the line, we're still talking about him needing to get a $16M AAV elsewhere to match the real dollars he'd earn on a $16M x 8 year deal in Edmonton.

Does this include the 50% tax rate in Canada?

I'd trade Thomas and any D man on our roster (and their contracts) for Drai (and this extension) 100 times out of 100. And I say that as someone who has loved the Thomas contract since day 1 and spent last season pounding the drum for Thomas as a sleeper Selke-caliber player.

Absolutely not. You don't build a contender around one superstar unless it's Gretzky and Leon is not Gretzky. Thomas + parayko >>>>>Leon and Perunovich.

 

[Brockon]

True, but I don't think Oilers will be as accommodating as the Pens were in helping us to offer sheet the Oilers.

We don't need to get our 2025 second back from the Oilers to offersheet Bouchard. He becomes an RFA on July 1st 2025, after the NHL 2025 entry draft.

In this hypothetical situation, we'd have to re-acquire our 2026 2nd back from Pittsburgh to be able to offersheet Bouchard for either 1,2,3 at ~9.16m or 1,1,2,3 for ~9.17 to ~11.45m.

I don't think we're going to get Bouchard to sign for 1,2,3 compensation value for 9.16m or less. I also don't believe it's in our best interest to make an offersheet to him for 1,1,2,3 value in the 9.17-11.45m AAV territory.

@Thallis

I think Bowman is in for a pretty hard year trying to figure things out before July 1st 2025, as he has to resign McDavid and the longer that takes the longer Bouchard is dangling eligible for an offersheet.

They have a projected 10.6m in cap space (not accounting for rising cap yet), Bouchard and 5 other expiring deals (Jeff Skinner, Emberson, Brown, Perry, Ryan). That's probably manageable by trading out Arvidsson and/or Henrique and getting a few league minimum players in.

Their real concern has to be 26/27 when the already committed 38.9m gets 25m+ added to it with McDavid and Bouchard extensions bringing them to 8/23 roster players and they have ~24m to fill out the rest of their roster. Getting 14 or 15 quality players to make a cup calibre contender is going to be very difficult around:

Hyman McDavid x
RNH Draisaitl x
X x x
X Janmark x

Nurse x
X Bouchard
X x

With no goalies signed. Their prospect pool is pretty much non existant, so adding cheap players with upside is highly unlikely.

 

[Frenzy31]

But not without talent.

Both those players have tallent