Confirmed Signing with Link: [EDM] D Evan Bouchard re-signs with the Oilers (2 years, $3.9M AAV)

[aggressive forecheck]

As long as Bouchard puts up major points over the next two seasons I'm happy. Doesn't matter which team he plays for after that. The Oilers will get something good for him in a trade.

 

[Czechboy]

Cale Makar, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns....

Oops.. forgot to type many before that.. totally agree that those Norris contenders and winners have more offence ... keep going with your list.. can you get to 10?

 

[notbias]

I

We can disagree but 31st in a 32 team league is great (unless you are a goalie.lol).

31st in a 32 team league while playing ES with McDavid/Drai/Hyman and not being good defensively it not great in my opinion, but he is young, he can grow, and his contract shows that.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Barrie was already a 50pt player at the same stage of their careers. Thinking that Bouchard could become a John Carlson type is a HUGE leap above what he actually looks like., not often do players change that drastically.

Bouchard isn't a bad player, but he is what he is. 3.9x2 is a perfect contract for where he is and what he will be tasked to do for Edmonton. If he doesn't improve defensively but becomes a great offensive player who wants to moon because of inflated PP points, you ship him out and get the next lackey to fill his position (Like an Edmonton fan already stated in this thread).

Carlson didn't have a truly noteworthy season until age 25. Bouchard has the look to me, he has the poise and processing with puck on his stick, the big shot that consistently gets through that you can't teach.

I wouldn't call him terrible defensively, but he has to be better, I think he will as time goes on and he grows into larger role.

Barrie was more of a pure OFD, puck rusher and rive boat gambler in the Ozone who sacrificed defense to do so. WIth Bouchards tools, he won't have to do that as much imo.

Maybe he might not be better yet, but in terms of ceiling, it's absolutely higher to me.

 

[notbias]

Carlson didn't have a truly noteworthy season until age 25. Bouchard has the look to me, he has the poise and processing with puck on his stick, the big shot that consistently gets through that you can't teach.

I wouldn't call him terrible defensively, but he has to be better, I think he will as time goes on and he grows into larger role.

Barrie was more of a pure OFD, puck rusher and rive boat gambler in the Ozone who sacrificed defense to do so. WIth Bouchards tools, he won't have to do that as much imo.

Maybe he might not be better yet, but in terms of ceiling, it's absolutely higher to me.

Carlson was a top 5 D 3 years in a row, not sure Bouchard will hit that.

He has to beat out - Dahlin, Fox, Makar, Heiskanen, McCavoy, Seider, Sanderson, Hughes, Jiricek, Reinbacher, Nemec, and more...

 

[WetcoastOrca]

He reminds me a lot of Barrie right now. I’d be wary of committing big money long term to him unless he dramatically improves defensively.

 

[MessierII]

Carlson was a top 5 D 3 years in a row, not sure Bouchard will hit that.

He has to beat out - Dahlin, Fox, Makar, Heiskanen, McCavoy, Seider, Sanderson, Hughes, Jiricek, Reinbacher, Nemec, and more...

He’ll likely outscore just about all of those guys starting this year. Now that he’s a fixture on that PP he’s going to put up monster numbers. Look at his post season numbers last year and that’s not even playing great 5 on 5.

 

[Shane Diesel]

Oops.. forgot to type many before that.. totally agree that those Norris contenders and winners have more offence ... keep going with your list.. can you get to 10?

You originally said "any" but ten is quite easy. Here are ten defensemen that provided similar offense just last season:

Cale Makar
Erik Karlsson
Brent Burns
Quinn Hughes
Josh Morrissey
Adam Fox
Rasmus Dahlin
Miro Heiskanen
Mikhail Sergachev
Dougie Hamilton

The list is longer if I go back and include defensemen from last year.

 

[notbias]

He’ll likely outscore just about all of those guys starting this year. Now that he’s a fixture on that PP he’s going to put up monster numbers. Look at his post season numbers last year and that’s not even playing great 5 on 5.

50% PP and still lost.. how bad was he 5v5?

Them having a top tier PP will help inflate his #s and his next contract, not sure it will help them win or him win the Norri/be considered a top D

 

[Czechboy]

You originally said "any" but ten is quite easy. Here are ten defensemen that provided similar offense just last season:

Cale Makar
Erik Karlsson
Brent Burns
Quinn Hughes
Josh Morrissey
Adam Fox
Rasmus Dahlin
Miro Heiskanen
Mikhail Sergachev
Dougie Hamilton

The list is longer if I go back and include defensemen from last year.

Yes it was a typo and I said that. He's clearly in great company. Let's see at seasons end if he has more points than some of these guys. I think he will but lots of hockey to play.

 

[Jumptheshark]

As long as Bouchard puts up major points over the next two seasons I'm happy. Doesn't matter which team he plays for after that. The Oilers will get something good for him in a trade.

or teams see we are still in cap hell and offer sheet him

here are the current rates

Offer Sheet Calculator - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

NHL Offer Sheet calculator which determines which NHL teams have the required compensation to submit an offer sheet.

www.capfriendly.com

 

[Lacaar]

50% PP and still lost.. how bad was he 5v5?

Them having a top tier PP will help inflate his #s and his next contract, not sure it will help them win or him win the Norri/be considered a top D

I think most Oiler fans would agree. At least I do. He has 2 years to get his defensive game into shape. Even then it's not likely we'll be able to afford him honestly. What Edmonton absolutely cannot afford is to pay him 10 million dollars to elevate the power play a few percentage points while being the defensive liability he currently is. Tough to give up a good right shot d-man but Edmonton needs to learn how to play a defensive game. Not this PP for the win and completely average or even below average 5 on 5 play.

If I had to guess. They may be planning or at least contingency planning for Broberg to step up and take some minutes from Nurse, to allow Nurse to go to the power play. As of now the Oilers are f***ed in this sense. Nurse actually holds his own on the power play as well. Not as effective as Barrie or Bouchard but it was close numbers wise. But we can't put Nurse on the power play because his defensive game is needed 5 on 5.

The Oilers should have a rule. Nobody is allowed on the 1st unit PP without a long term contract with the exception of McDavid and Draisitl hehe. It just rockets up cost of players to support something that is likely to be effective anyway.

 

[Bounces R Way]

"legit number one defenseman"

That is funny stuff. A+ satire

3.9 x 2 years seems reasonable. Talented kid but unless he fixes his cement boots I don't see him being all situations top pairing quality.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

He reminds me a lot of Barrie right now. I’d be wary of committing big money long term to him unless he dramatically improves defensively.

The only way I see Bouchard improving his defensive game immensely is if one of Nurse, Ceci or Ekholm get traded or injured. Right now Bouchard doesn't have to work on his defensive game because the Oil rely on him so heavily offensively.

17pts in 12 games last playoffs. He's going to be on the ice in every offensive situation so unless he plays 30 mins a night, I can't see him being put into too many defensive situations.

 

[LTIR]

The only way I see Bouchard improving his defensive game immensely is if one of Nurse, Ceci or Ekholm get traded or injured. Right now Bouchard doesn't have to work on his defensive game because the Oil rely on him so heavily offensively.

17pts in 12 games last playoffs. He's going to be on the ice in every offensive situation so unless he plays 30 mins a night, I can't see him being put into too many defensive situations.

That's not how NHL hockey works. Also playing softer minutes would actually get him ( Broberg and Desharnais) improve their defensive skills.

"legit number one defenseman"

That is funny stuff. A+ satire

3.9 x 2 years seems reasonable. Talented kid but unless he fixes his cement boots I don't see him being all situations top pairing quality.

Sure, if he isn't quality top pairing Dman in 2yrs then the Oilers would be able to afford him.
It's a win-win either way

 

[TheUnusedCrayon]

Bridge deals almost never work
He’s gonna get absolutely a fortune in a couple years.
Look at The Canucks, they want that stupid ass bridge deal for pettersson.
Sure it looks good right away, and then you’re screwed in a couple years

With Bouchard as it was with Pettersson, it's not a terrible idea. It's risk management. Bouchard isn't going to explode into an 80 points per season guy. He's gonna hover pretty closely to what he is now and 4 is a fair offer. Most he makes in my opinion if he pans out to his potential will be around 6 which is what people would pay him outright for a long-term contract anyways and he's still unproven and his defense still sucks. It's more likely to save money than burn you in the long run based on his trajectory and skill set.

Petey was also risk management because he has had injury issues. Imagine paying Petey 9 mill for 8 years if he played like he did when he was injured. Likely wouldn't have been able to re-sign some players as well due to his bridge saving money.

 

[Czechboy]

"legit number one defenseman"

That is funny stuff. A+ satire

3.9 x 2 years seems reasonable. Talented kid but unless he fixes his cement boots I don't see him being all situations top pairing quality.

I don't see all situation bouch either. Or him winning a Norris.

However, his big knock seems to be that he's not Makar, Hedman or a Norris contender. Totally agree. I just dont see that as a big insult and more as a compliment.

1d on his team? His hurdles are nurse, Ekholm and Ceci.

Also, this is HF and Oiler players receive a tonne of hate ... So if he does get 70 points and is top 5 in D scoring.. it'll be because of McDrai anyways.lol.

I'm leaving the post... My final views..

I think he gets 70 points this season and will be an absolute steal at his new salary. I also think HF will shit on him every step of the way.

 

[GOilers88]

I don't see all situation bouch either. Or him winning a Norris.

However, his big knock seems to be that he's not Makar, Hedman or a Norris contender. Totally agree. I just dont see that as a big insult and more as a compliment.

1d on his team? His hurdles are nurse, Ekholm and Ceci.

Also, this is HF and Oiler players receive a tonne of hate ... So if he does get 70 points and is top 5 in D scoring.. it'll be because of McDrai anyways.lol.

I'm leaving the post... My final views..

I think he gets 70 points this season and will be an absolute steal at his new salary. I also think HF will shit on him every step of the way.

The Edmonton Products of McDavid. Interesting that this doesn't seem to be a thing for anyone on any team that has superstars.

 

[Shane Diesel]

Yes it was a typo and I said that. He's clearly in great company. Let's see at seasons end if he has more points than some of these guys. I think he will but lots of hockey to play.

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

46th among defensemen in p/gp over the past two seasons (min. 5 games played) while being a liability defensively.

 

[Seanaconda]

What is surprisingly cheap? Murray is a better goalie, less term, less cap, and was a 3rd + 7th, the idea was playing him too, not just as a cap dump.

Idk I said I think it will be surprising so I want to be surprised. But bad contracts get moved around . Might pick up another one but one that can be in the lineup assuming cambell doesn't bounce back

 

[stewy04]

3.9 now
10 or more in two years?

I hope he gets good enough to ask for 10!

 

[aggressive forecheck]

or teams see we are still in cap hell and offer sheet him

here are the current rates

Offer Sheet Calculator - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

NHL Offer Sheet calculator which determines which NHL teams have the required compensation to submit an offer sheet.

www.capfriendly.com

That's even better than trading him.

I hope he gets good enough to ask for 10!

I hope Bouchard scores a shitload over the next two seasons and then your team offer sheets him.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

That's not how NHL hockey works. Also playing softer minutes would actually get him ( Broberg and Desharnais) improve their defensive skills.


Sure, if he isn't quality top pairing Dman in 2yrs then the Oilers would be able to afford him.
It's a win-win either way

Well since being paired with Ekholm, Bouchard's game literally smoothed out.

Ekholm should be on the top pair, Nurse and Ceci on the second pair. But Bouchard's game defensively isn't strong enough. Would be interesting to see how he would handle top line opponents though.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Still below 50% according to the player card.

But significantly better than it was, and trending the right direction.

Hey if you want to overpay a D-man who piggybacks off your generational forward, like EDM did with Nurse, have at it. Just don't pretend he's a #1 D-man like the Oilers did with Nurse.

He's not a #1. Not yet, anyway. But neither are any of his comparables.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Bridge deals almost never work
He’s gonna get absolutely a fortune in a couple years.
Look at The Canucks, they want that stupid ass bridge deal for pettersson.
Sure it looks good right away, and then you’re screwed in a couple years

To be fair, it isn't always the team insisting on a bridge but the player. In a case like this Bouchard has zero reason to even consider anything long term. Same with Petterrsson when he signed his deal. They know their respective value to the team and what leverage that gives them.