Proposal: Bouchard for Karlsson

[Breakers]

If edmonton trades Bouchard

it should be for somebody who is under a great contract

because bouchard can just say Nurse is the floor in negotiations with edmonton.

 

[LTIR]

If edmonton trades Bouchard

it should be for somebody who is under a great contract

because bouchard can just say Nurse is the floor in negotiations with edmonton.

Bouchard is a RFA , Nurse was a UFA.

 

[PuckG]

First thought is Bouchard isn’t in the same universe as Quinn Hughes… but then I remember that Vancouver series

One is a clear playoff performer and the other disappears entirely.

 

[GCK]

Bouchard

For

Karlsson
3 million retained
2026 1st

Karlsson at 7 million hopefully provides a couple years of good play with cost certainty for 3 years. It also fits into the Oilers win now window with many vets becoming UFA in 2026-27. Its a gamble trading for a 34 year old but I dont want to risk a cap crunch with what Bouchard's next contract will command.

Pitts gets a right handed defenseman entering his prime to kick off the rebuild and they can afford to pay him.

I think a Karlsson retained at 50% straight up for Bouchard makes sense for both clubs but not until the offseason.

 

[Slats432]

Read the 1st post. Threw up in my mouth a little. Decided to post this. Left thread.

 

[McShogun99]

So Edmonton trades a 25 year old Dman thats just hitting his prime and scored 114 points in 106 games last year for a 34 year old Dman thats just going thru the motions now and scored at half the rate of Bouchard???

 

[Cup or Bust]

...the flipside is that he is worth that to the Oilers right now, while their window is open...there just aren't many defensemen out there with Bouchard's offensive talent and cannon of a shot...take that away and, even if they could find another offensive RD, does that player bring what Bouchard does to the table??...the kid might have the best slapper since Weber; that's a helluva weapon in itself and keeps defenses & goalies on their toes..

I would take less offense for a much harder working, better skating, and better defensive d-man, but he is what he is and he is an Oiler so I hope for the best.

 

[Three On Zero]

I would take less offense for a much harder working, better skating, and better defensive d-man., but he is what he is and he is an Oiler so I hope for the best.

The issue with a proposal like this is Bouchard means more to Edmonton than he does Pittsburgh and the 1st means more to Pittsburgh than Bouchard does.

Bouchard fits the age of Edmonton’s core more than Karlsson does. The 1st for Pittsburgh better lines up with a rebuild than Bouchard does.

The upcoming 1st round picks for Pittsburgh should hold as much value as McDavid does to Edmonton. Unless Dubas goes full Dubas

 

[bucks_oil]

...again, you can't just take these "fancy stats" as gospel without looking into a number of other different contextual variables that round out the "complete story" of what Bouchard is and what he brings/what he lacks/what his team as a whole brings/what his team as a whole lacks/what said team trading for him requires/lacks/etc/etc/etc...or you end up doing what Dubas did in Toronto/what he's doing in Pitt...stats tell only part of the story, especially since most are severely contextual...so again, this trade makes no sense for Pitt...

Did you not see the last column?

That was Goals For VS Goals Against

Last I checked that is how we decide games and NOT a fancy stat.

In fact, I factored out the game state (Powerplay) where Bouchard makes his biggest positive influence and focused only on 5v5. Then I factored out the three best players that play with him,...

INCLUDING his D partner Ekholm, who you specifically said was responsible for his success.

Guess what, he's not!

You said he'd be "negative infinity" without Ekholm.

Do you understand that to get a negative, you need to have less than a 50% goal share at 5v5?

Bouchard is 58% that would translate to like a +20 or more on the season.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I am an Oilers fan and agree with you. He would get absolutely caved in if he played on a weaker team. Imagine if someone like Quinn Hughes got to play with Ekholm and with McDavid 5 on 5, and on the Oilers powerplay? 100 points a season, better defensively, harder working, way better skater. If I was the Oilers I would trade him. No way I would pay him 9 or 10 million a season. Completely one dimensional player.

It's True. Look what happened to Barrie when he left Edmonton.

Sometimes styles make fights.

 

[MessierII]

There is nothing in the Pittsburgh organization that gets you Bouchard.

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

Karlsson sucks, he is one third the defensive player Bouchard is and EDM is not in the business of acquiring 1st round picks nor is PIT in the business of giving them up with an ancient core.

Swapping Bouchard for Karlsson is a sure fire way to effectively end Edmonton's ability to compete for a Cup.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

So Edmonton trades a 25 year old Dman thats just hitting his prime and scored 114 points in 106 games last year for a 34 year old Dman thats just going thru the motions now and scored at half the rate of Bouchard???

I'm not saying the Oilers should do this trade, it makes no sense, but you guys are clearly leaving out the 2026 unprotected top 5 pick.

Pens also say no to the trade.


The proposed trade is not just Bouchard for Karlsson.....................

 

[McShogun99]

I'm not saying the Oilers should do this trade, it makes no sense, but you guys are clearly leaving out the 2026 unprotected top 5 pick.

Pens also say no to the trade.


The proposed trade is not just Bouchard for Karlsson.....................

The 2026 pick is a mystery, it could be #1 or it could be #20. Then that pick could be the next Yakupov. It's to big of a gamble for what could be 8+ high level years of Bouchard.

 

[bucks_oil]

I think a Karlsson retained at 50% straight up for Bouchard makes sense for both clubs but not until the offseason.

Honest question, but why would it make sense for Edmonton?

Bouchard is younger, cheaper, will sign a cheaper contract, arguably equal offensviely (his 82 points is as good as all-but one season in Karlsson's long career), and arguably stronger defensively.

Karlsson is older, already declining, scoring less than Bouchard in a similar situation (#1D with 1st PP on a team with superstars), more expensive and did I mention older? I'm guessing your argument is that he's a bargain at 50% and still good enough for a couple more years?

Seems like a flimsy premise to me, what does Edmonton do in 3 years time when Karlsson is retired and Bouchard is still only 28?

 

[Empoleon8771]

The 2026 pick is a mystery, it could be #1 or it could be #20. Then that pick could be the next Yakupov. It's to big of a gamble for what could be 8+ high level years of Bouchard.

I would be shocked for that pick to be anything lower than like #6 overall. I don't think some fans realize how dogshit of a team the Penguins are at this point.

Letang is completely washed up and Malkin isn't that far behind him. The team is basically their great Rakell-Crosby-Rust L1 and the Pettersson-Karlsson pair. Everything else is awful.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Did you not see the last column?

That was Goals For VS Goals Against

Last I checked that is how we decide games and NOT a fancy stat.

In fact, I factored out the game state (Powerplay) where Bouchard makes his biggest positive influence and focused only on 5v5. Then I factored out the three best players that play with him,...

INCLUDING his D partner Ekholm, who you specifically said was responsible for his success.

Guess what, he's not!

You said he'd be "negative infinity" without Ekholm.

Do you understand that to get a negative, you need to have less than a 50% goal share at 5v5?

Bouchard is 58% that would translate to like a +20 or more on the season.

...and again, you cherry-pick, this time snippets of a post; I stated that he "would be a negative infinity" (yes, an obvious exaggeration) ON PITTSBURGH because 1) they don't have an Ekholmesque defender to pair with him to compensate for his (again) OBVIOUS defensive shortcomings (why do you think Team Canada doesn't take a high-octane RD like Bouchard??...perhaps they also see that he requires the type of LD partner they don't have on the team...maybe??...or do YOU think you know more than the management of Team Canada does??) 2) Pitt is not the puck possession JUGGERNAUT that the Oil are, therefore negating some of Bouchard's strengths while having the possibility of amplifying his weaknesses, since his team will possess the puck less, causing him to have to defend more 3) again, you use specific stats as your ENTIRE arguement here, while dismissing completely that they are highly contextual and even slight variables, like the quality of competition specific to shifts, can/does amplify said stats in one way or another...etc, etc, etc...and the kicker is that you run screaming to "defend" Bouchard when no one was attacking him, just stating his obvious shortcomings along with his obvious strengths...so I guess just keep burying your head in the sand when it comes to anyone saying anything that isn't a GLOWING review of an Edmonton Oiler...have fun...

 

[Empoleon8771]

I also don't understand why people would argue that Karlsson at 50% for Bouchard makes sense for either team either. It makes Edmonton worse and they only get Karlsson at 50% for 2 years, while Bouchard's production on the Penguins would plummet and wouldn't be worth even close to what he'll be getting paid. The only way that makes sense for the Penguins is if they'd immediately flip Bouchard elsewhere for draft picks.

The whole premise of this thread confuses me. A rebuilding team is giving up a very likely high 1st while a contending team is giving up the best player. It's just a backwards trade.

 

[LTIR]

Bouchard

For

Karlsson
3 million retained
2026 1st

Karlsson at 7 million hopefully provides a couple years of good play with cost certainty for 3 years. It also fits into the Oilers win now window with many vets becoming UFA in 2026-27. Its a gamble trading for a 34 year old but I dont want to risk a cap crunch with what Bouchard's next contract will command.

Pitts gets a right handed defenseman entering his prime to kick off the rebuild and they can afford to pay him.

Karlsson is not a 7M player anymore. Oilers will be better off trying out more Klingbergs/Boqvists for cheap than taking on that contract.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Makes no sense for either team really

Oilers get worse and Pens lose a good pick for their rebuild

 

[Devilmademedoit]

Bouchard

For

Karlsson
3 million retained
2026 1st

Karlsson at 7 million hopefully provides a couple years of good play with cost certainty for 3 years. It also fits into the Oilers win now window with many vets becoming UFA in 2026-27. Its a gamble trading for a 34 year old but I dont want to risk a cap crunch with what Bouchard's next contract will command.

Pitts gets a right handed defenseman entering his prime to kick off the rebuild and they can afford to pay him.

I really hate that Karlsson is 24 but I do not think the the pens do it

 

[Czechboy]

Friendly reminder that Bouch makes 3.9M right now. Love him.. hate him but that is a damn fine contract.

 

[GCK]

Honest question, but why would it make sense for Edmonton?

Bouchard is younger, cheaper, will sign a cheaper contract, arguably equal offensviely (his 82 points is as good as all-but one season in Karlsson's long career), and arguably stronger defensively.

Karlsson is older, already declining, scoring less than Bouchard in a similar situation (#1D with 1st PP on a team with superstars), more expensive and did I mention older? I'm guessing your argument is that he's a bargain at 50% and still good enough for a couple more years?

Seems like a flimsy premise to me, what does Edmonton do in 3 years time when Karlsson is retired and Bouchard is still only 28?

I think Bouchard will cost 8-9M. With McDavid’s contract due in 2 years you can’t pay everyone.