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

[Riptide]

This looks like the Nurse situation all over again. Smart move by Bouchard though as with the cap going up he will cash in on a huge deal after the bridge is over. Just like Nurse.
For the Oilers, it gives them a good opportunity over the next two years to try to win a Cup. After that it will get much tougher.

It's not like Edmonton had many options. They're cap strapped and aren't really in a position to shed a ton of salary to spend what... 6/7m or so on a longer term deal. Not sure what it would have cost to sign Bouchard to a 4/5 yr deal... but gotta think it's in the 6m+ range. Could it have been done? Probably... but it wouldn't have been easy... or cheap.

Edit:
Going to add this. Nurse also isn't the best example... because he signed 2 bridge deals. One at 3.2m and another at 5.6m. If Edmonton had re-signed him long term after that first bridge, they likely could have him locked up long term (call it another 4-5 seasons) at something in the 6-7m range instead of the 9.25m he's currently costing them.

 

[MMC]

 

[Scintillating10]

Oilers got best of him. Bouchard at 3.9m is a deal

 

[94 Oil Drops]

The cap has been such a frustrating thing lately for litteraly everyone involved in NHL hockey. It's nice to have him for a couple years on a great value but could definitely see the Oilers trading him before his next raise, especially if they want to lock up Draisaitl and McDavid again for a number of years.

That ridiculous Nurse contract really messed things up. Those kinds of deals often cost teams cups.

 

[Mr Positive]

The cap has been such a frustrating thing lately for litteraly everyone involved in NHL hockey. It's nice to have him for a couple years on a great value but could definitely see the Oilers trading him before his next raise, especially if they want to lock up Draisaitl and McDavid again for a number of years.

That ridiculous Nurse contract really messed things up. Those kinds of deals often cost teams cups.

No. Contracts like the Nurse deal isn't hurting us . Overpaid by 1 million but still an invaluable player to the team. It's deals like the Campbell contract or the dead cap buyouts that have been holding the Oilers back.

As an Oiler fan I also realize that we can't change the Nurse deal or move him. Also if we trade him, we take a step back. I'd rather focus on finding a way to help Nurse reach that next level

 

[KCC]

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

It was a bridge deal or nothing with how up against the cap they are. But yes, he will probably get paid after it ends assuming he keeps treading upwards.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Solid deal for both sides. Edmonton gets an offensive defenseman for relatively cheap for the next two seasons and Bouchard can boost his production over the next couple of years and really cash in on his next deal.

 

[ManofSteel55]

The cap has been such a frustrating thing lately for litteraly everyone involved in NHL hockey. It's nice to have him for a couple years on a great value but could definitely see the Oilers trading him before his next raise, especially if they want to lock up Draisaitl and McDavid again for a number of years.

That ridiculous Nurse contract really messed things up. Those kinds of deals often cost teams cups.

Nurse is overpaid, but his 1-2M extra is being more than saved on other contracts on the team (Draisaitl, Hyman and Nuge all produce far above their dollar value). Campbell's deal is the biggest hurdle, unless he rebounds this season.

 

[Bank Shot]

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 have mostly excellent contracts unlike the mess in Vancouver.

 

[Miro4Norris]

I like how people try to say our cup window is ending when Mcdavid is 27 yet Pittsburgh is still going for it with a 36 year old Crosby. Our cup window is for however long Mcdavid is an Oiler.

Ever heard of salary cap? Using that wisely improves the team. Bouchard and Drai will ask lot more money and year after that, Skinner? and McDavid. They'll still be paying nurse & Campbell 15 mil. McD would be 28-29 which is not old but he, Draisaitl, nuge and hyman will more likely be worse than this year than better than this year.

 

[TheNumber4]

Lots an analytics showing what Bouch is supposed to be. But it’s all based on shoddy data with Bouch specifically. He didn’t show his true form until Barrie left and Ekholm was brought in. A full year and those offensive numbers should go up even more.

 

[syz]

Even if the Oilers had the cap space for a long term deal there's no way Bouchard's agent would possibly be stupid enough to let him sign it.

Everybody knows he's going to pad his numbers on a generational power play, and everybody also knows that the cap is going to go up in 2 years.

 

[Voight]

Nurse got lucky that Chicago idiotically signed Seth Jones to that contract. The second that contract was signed Nurse knew he just cashed in. Thats the risk you take with show me/bridge deals. A bridge deal is the only thing the Oilers can afford with Bouch, will he get lucky like Nurse did?


Every team has flaws. There are no teams that don't have flaws.

Jones' contract wasn't the one that reset the market. The floor was set when Trouba & Carlson got $8million/year. After those deals were signed it was unlikely any #1 d-man (by that I mean a teams #1 d-man) was going to sign for less, by the time Jones was extended Pietrangelo got $8.8mn/year as a free agent, which raised the floor again.

 

[biturbo19]

Pretty much the exact same situation as the K'Andre Miller thing with the Rangers. I'm sure they wished they could do more, but the reality of the situations is that they simply don't have the cap right now to go long-term. So you just take your lumps in a couple years and know that you're going to be handing them a blank cheque at that point. Just the compromise of not having enough wiggle room to even explore what they'd cost on a long-term deal right now. Especially when these guys and their agents are fully expecting the cap to go up by then as well. It's gonna be time to roll the Brinks trucks.


I don't think either team is under the illusion that the short bridge deal is ideal in the long-run, but you've gotta do what you gotta do to survive the flat cap in the meantime.

 

[oobga]

Yep, especially to core players. The Oilers locked up Klefbom and Draisaitl long term on their 2nd contracts and it worked out wonderfully (would have for Klef if he didn't get injured but who could see that coming). Nurse not so much with the 2nd bridge in particular and this one with Bouchard will certainly bite them in the rear eventually but they had no choice with Bouchard so it is what it is.

For the Canucks, Hughes is good value but probably should have bumped up the AAV a bit on a max term instead of 6 years. Either way, better 6 years than a bridge.

IIRC the 2nd Nurse bridge was done for the same reason as this deal. We didn't plan ahead and just accepted that long term was impossible with the cap space remaining. I think we get burned again with Bouch. Better win something in the next couple years, Bouch and Drai needing deals at the same time is going to be painful. Then handing McDavid a blank cheque after that.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Except literally every metric shows otherwise, including the eye test aside for the most part. He literally plays against the highest quality of competition on the team, and ends up with significantly more goals scored while he is out there than when he is not. And to refute your next point before you make it, it isn't only when he is on the ice with McDavid and Draisaitl. He's a net positive with our bottom six out there too. He also produces offense despite getting the hardest assignments as well. To the point where he was 7th among defensemen in even strength points.

The problem with Nurse is that when he has a meltdown, it's the kind that makes the highlight reel, so everyone just remembers "bonehead stupid play", and assumes it happens all the time. He pinches in sometimes and gets caught, but that's the system that the coaches design, and frankly, he's really good at that too and can often get back. The narrative on Darnell Nurse is just ridiculous.

Oilers fans know better than anyone how awful our goaltending has been. You don't need to scream about that from a soapbox.

Only four other players have been on the ice for more 5v5 GA than Nurse over the last 3 seasons. They're all #1D on terrible teams that missed the playoffs. I dunno what metrics are saying he's great or even good defensively but the actual results say otherwise.

You see a guy make enough stupid plays over and over again and eventually you can conclude he's a stupid player.

 

[Burnie97]

Coming from a Leafs fan here...

For now this is fine. Gives him 2 more years to prove himself a bit more. He's been good but tough with the cap right now for many teams.

Only thing is it could bite in 2 years when he wants a lot more. However the cap is going way up.

I think a ton of contracts the next couple years will work themselves out like this. Many players are going to want to max out as much as they can when time comes.

Oilers piss me off no doubt but I can admit ... Oilers have a good one here.

 

[MessierII]

Only four other players have been on the ice for more 5v5 GA than Nurse over the last 3 seasons. They're all #1D on terrible teams that missed the playoffs. I dunno what metrics are saying he's great or even good defensively but the actual results say otherwise.

You see a guy make enough stupid plays over and over again and eventually you can conclude he's a stupid player.

Part of that is because he’s played the 2nd most minutes 5 on 5 in the nhl in that stretch. Another part of it is huge amounts of that is in front of goalies like Jack Campbell and Mikko Koskinen who were just drowning. Fact of the matter is the Oilers significantly outscore the other teams players including their best ones when he is on the ice.

On the flip side of your argument only 2 D have been on for more goals for 5 on 5 in that same stretch.

What they need is a real partner for him. He’s played with guys like Ethan Bear, Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci in his time. Barrie was alright but they had to shelter their minutes with heavy Mcdavid time and easier competition. This was back when they had Larsson who could do heavy lifting on another pair. Bear was ok but shouldn’t realistically be in the top 4 on a legit contender him and nurse happened to have good chemistry and complemented each other nicely but it’s still Ethan Bear. He’ll never be that guy. Same with Ceci albeit it to a lesser extent. Ceci is actually a good player and has reinvented himself as a solid two way guy who can play top 4 minutes and thrive but he’s still not a real top pair D.

 

[CupofOil]

Only four other players have been on the ice for more 5v5 GA than Nurse over the last 3 seasons. They're all #1D on terrible teams that missed the playoffs. I dunno what metrics are saying he's great or even good defensively but the actual results say otherwise.

You see a guy make enough stupid plays over and over again and eventually you can conclude he's a stupid player.

Yeah but he's also on ice for a massive amount of GF, always heavily in the + column, so while he gives away a lot he creates a whole lot more, he's one of the best in the league at controlled zone exits and creating transition offense with the puck. Sort of like Draisaitl in a way. He's not good defensively though, no argument there.

 

[Pavels Dog]

2 years is pretty long for a 42 year old. Big gamble imo.

 

[MrKriben]

2 years is pretty long for a 42 year old. Big gamble imo.

I thought he was like 23? Good deal imo.

 

[Vitto79]

Comparable signings bang on

So cap hell . Gotta carry 2 spares no ?

Foeggle goes

 

[Michoulicious]

Since they traded Barrie, his stats just exploded. Crazy what playing on a PP1 with McDavid and Draisaitl can do to someone's offensive output!

I expect 70-80+ points/season in the next 2 seasons. They won't be able to sign him in 2 years IMO, 10+ millions deal incoming with a rising cap.

 

[Mr Positive]

Since they traded Barrie, his stats just exploded. Crazy what playing on a PP1 with McDavid and Draisaitl can do to someone's offensive output!

I expect 70-80+ points/season in the next 2 seasons. They won't be able to sign him in 2 years IMO, 10+ millions deal incoming with a rising cap.

Not just trading Barrie, but getting to play with Ekholm. Bouchard's 5 on 5 stats have been amazing too, offensive and defensive, while playing vs tougher competition. Just watching Bouchard, he has found a new gear to match his new role

 

[McDNicks17]

Since they traded Barrie, his stats just exploded. Crazy what playing on a PP1 with McDavid and Draisaitl can do to someone's offensive output!

I expect 70-80+ points/season in the next 2 seasons. They won't be able to sign him in 2 years IMO, 10+ millions deal incoming with a rising cap.

It wasn't just offense too. He and Ekholm had really good defensive numbers together after the trade deadline.