Confirmed Signing with Link: [EDM] D Evan Bouchard re-signs with the Oilers (2 years, $3.9M AAV)
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How much choice did they really have? Even with this 2 year bridge deal keeping the cap hit relatively low, the Oilers can only field a 21 man roster as currently constructed unless they trade someone.
This bridge deal at least makes sense since Edmonton is a contending team during the span of it, whereas that was not the case for Vancouver and Pettersson.
herzausstein
Registered User
Puts Draisaitl, McLeod, and Bouchard looking for extensions that summer (in 2 years) with only Ceci, Foegele, and Neal's dead cap expiring between now and then. Thatll be another fun summer
Zirakzigil
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Breakers
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They are signed long term LOlOL
And the contracts end at great years instead of offering a terrible 3rd contract around that ends late 30’s
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If he performs well on the 2 year bridge, then he obviously has earned and deserves a big pay day, locked up, long term. People are hating on bridge deals because you can save a little long term now, but that's pretty risky.
Ya but you pay a huge AAV premium.
Probably could have gotten Nurse at a 5M x 8 first time around or 6.5M x 8 the 2nd.
ujju2
Registered User
If the Oilers win the cup within 2 years (which is the goal regardless) then it will have worked. If the cap goes up in two years, that's a bonus.
Breakers
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Edmonton double bridged and walked him to UFA
That was their idiotic mistake to double bridge
Campbell will likely get traded by then
archangel2
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ChaoticOrange
Registered User
hey now, that's not fair... we also have to sign Draisaitl in two years.
Hope whoever replaces Holland has some serious negotiation chops.
I love Bouchbomb as much as the next Oiler homer,
But in his contract year we need to see him untethered from Ekholm before handing him a big-ticket contract.
If he really is just Tyson Barrie v2.0 and can't carry a pairing with a less capable Dman (Broberg, or Kulak) then we need to let him walk.
We can't be signing another $5m Dman to a $9m contract.
But in his contract year we need to see him untethered from Ekholm before handing him a big-ticket contract.
If he really is just Tyson Barrie v2.0 and can't carry a pairing with a less capable Dman (Broberg, or Kulak) then we need to let him walk.
We can't be signing another $5m Dman to a $9m contract.
That’s the problem though when you have too many bad contracts. You don’t have any option except to bridge. Thanks to Benning the Canucks had a lot of cap tied up in underperforming players. The Oilers aren’t as bad but the Campbell and Nurse contracts really hurt them.
Oilers only hope is Campbell goes LTIR. He will be expensive to move…..not that the Oilers do anything with their draft picks anyway I guess.
ChaoticOrange
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6ix
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Oilers didn’t have much of a choice here. Kind of a kick the can down the road situation.
Czechboy
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Dazed and Confused
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I think this might be the case.
Bouchard's good, but he's very much a part of the Barrie and Klingberg school of defenceman, A type whose warts normally hold them back from a massive payday. He's looked amazing with Ekholm, but what happens if the Oil choose to run Mattias with Broberg to mentor him or with Nurse to maximize his game? Would his results still justify 7+ million he's likely asking for to sign long term?
Bouchard has played some solid hockey with other partners (including some nice results with a geriatric Keith and rookie Broberg), but there's a big difference between a long term deal for solid results and a long term deal for amazing results.
Great signing. Bouchard will provide amazing value as a top-4 PP1 RD at $3.9M, and EDM is in prime contention years, where worrying about the future is an extreme luxury.
A long-term deal is impossible, so I hope nobody looks back on this deal as though there was an alternative. There is not. There was no sequence of events that led to a long-term Bouchard deal, and nobody could have made it happen.
A long-term deal is impossible, so I hope nobody looks back on this deal as though there was an alternative. There is not. There was no sequence of events that led to a long-term Bouchard deal, and nobody could have made it happen.
Pretty large cap hit for that term.
Think the bridge is smart though. The cap hit on a long term deal for a PP specialist would've been too big.
Think the bridge is smart though. The cap hit on a long term deal for a PP specialist would've been too big.
Oh I know, That's why I said they had no choice.
ChaoticOrange
Registered User
Not really.
It's right in line with age and production comparables.
K'Andre Miller (2x3.872)
Noah Dobson (2x4.00)
Bo Byram (2x3.85)
Filip Hronek (2x4.4)
Also he's not a powerplay specialist. Bouchard is 33rd in the NHL for even strength points among defencemen since he entered the league fulltime
the bridge deal is all they could do really, AAV is fine... take a run before you have to re-sign Drai/McDavid and lose Ekholm (their best D), and then might have to make some tough decisions.
In 3 years time assuming McDavid and Drai re-sign, I assume Bouchard gets a big raise while putting up points on the PP. They are going to have like 50 million tied up between players who are terrible defensively and a backup goalie (Campbell, Bouchard, Nurse, McDavid, Drai)... I really think at some point the Oilers need to re-evaluate things and make some tough decisions.
In 3 years time assuming McDavid and Drai re-sign, I assume Bouchard gets a big raise while putting up points on the PP. They are going to have like 50 million tied up between players who are terrible defensively and a backup goalie (Campbell, Bouchard, Nurse, McDavid, Drai)... I really think at some point the Oilers need to re-evaluate things and make some tough decisions.
