Yeah. That's exactly my thinking with Nurse. I don't think a leopard is gonna change it's spots there. Might as well find someone to play to that and let him loose.
As far as Bouchard, i also agree. It makes sense for him to take a bridge deal and get paid the entire Brinks truck when the cap opens up and he has even more leverage with years of productive experience.
However...the offer sheet thing could still throw a wrench in the works. If structured the right way, it would allow him to potentially get a much bigger "bridge deal" and still get ABSOLUTELY PAID at the end of it. Wouldn't even have to be about a team expecting to land Bouchard...but it's an opportunity to make life more difficult for a contending conference/division rival.
ex//Even if someone tossed a 1 or 2-year x $6.4M offer at him. The Oilers match obviously...but that's pretty bad news for the "affordable bridge". And still leaves Bouchard the opportunity to get paid just the same coming off his bridge deal. Just makes far more $$$ in the meantime. Or they could go the insane "poison pill" route that walks Bouchard right to UFA. That'd also carry a huge cap number in the meantime.
I don't really worry about losing players to offersheets, and it's not something that a lot of GMs even leverage anyway. But it's certainly an opportunity to jack up Edmonton's cap situation for the next couple years.
Of course, that also assumes Bouchard would sign the offer, rather than just accepting that playing with McDavid and Draisaitl around is potentially going to net him an even bigger contract down the line. Just saying...it's a possibility still.
