Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread | The Oilers Biggest Roster Need Is?

[CupofOil]

again, 11M is his side's first offer. Edmonton's first offer will probably be something like 8-8.5. They'll meet at 9.5-10 and he'll get more money up front and probably get a NTC. It's a negotiation.

Agreed, I think he'll get a little more than 10 taking projected cap inflation into account but it'll likely be in the 9.5-10,5m range.

 

[K1984]

And Skinner waves his NMC to a clear non playoff team for what reason? He signed here for one reason and one reason only--to finally to be in a playoff game. HE is in his 15th season and has never played in playoff game. He wont waive just to do us a favour

At some point his next contract is going to matter to him more than making the playoffs.

~10 goals here while toiling between the bottom 6 and probably eventually the press box means he's signing for $1x1 somewhere next year. If he goes somewhere else, even if it's a shitty team and scores at a 20+ goal pace with Top6 and PP time he'll be able to still get a real contract.

 

[brentashton]

I'm hoping the Oilers go for younger than Fowler. He'd help now but if the Oilers are spending prime assets, I want a multi-year/long term solution. Then again, Ekholm was the same age as Fowler when the Oilers acquired him but Fowler ain't no Ekholm.

Not the exact same player but still some similar numbers (I extracted the last 3 seasons - also Edm and Ana are very different teams that skew some numbers).

Eckholm is a much more complete defensive, physical player which is a strength.

Name	Category Wins	GP	G	A	PTS	SH%	PTS/G	EVG	EVP	PPG	PPP	SHG	SHP	SOG	SOG/G	SOG/60	+/-	PIM	FOW	FO%	Hits	BkS	TOI	PPTOI	SHTOI
MATTIAS EKHOLM	14	179	22	65	87	5.9	0.49	17	76	4	9	1	2	373	2.1	5.8	76	79	0	0	244	225	21:29	01:05	02:16
CAM FOWLER	12	175	15	74	89	6	0.51	9	56	6	32	0	1	249	1.4	3.5	-58	42	0	0	61	243	24:05	02:19	02:37

 

[bobbythebrain]

Ha. I love it. More proof ppl on here should stick to watching hockey vs spouting analytics they don't understand.

From Yakdavid is great duo, to JP is an elite player who makes EVERY line he's on better, to Marancin is elite at defense, to "we should get Hamonic cuz he's the best 5v5 dman in the NHL", to now saying Bouchard has been good all year.

Please, for the love of gawd, stop using analytics. It only loses you credibility

 

[Canovin]

What would you offer him?
11M does seem a bit rich but he's going to get around $10M in a fast rising cap world and it'll be market value for a player like that.

Just like Covid Nurse. I'd say 2M below what Bouchard is asking for to be on the safe side. I prefer he take 8M but can live with somewhere around 9M

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

That's a part of it but Bouchard is also THAT good. I don't think some Oiler fans appreciate how much he drives offense, it's at a very elite level. He's like the Draisaitl of Dmen, gets the lazy tag makes some "lazy" egregious mistakes at times for sure but is an elite offensive driver that does FAR more good than bad. Talents that just don't grow on trees.

While not a bad problem to have, the Oilers are kind of hamstrung to pay him what he wants. I only hope that a good deal is hammered out and we aren't stuck with another Nurse-like contract.

 

[frag2]

It's freaking crazy to me. This is an elite talent that was playing like a legit top 10 if not top 5 Dman for a large chunk of last season and in the playoffs yet he has a bit of a rough patch to start this season and you see posters talking about what trash he is. Boggles my mind.

Highly offensive Dmen make mistakes, sometimes very glaring mistakes, but that's also due to them having the puck on their stick a whole lot so of course the more you have the puck and the more minutes you play the more mistakes that will occur.
The thing is though that the really high end offensive Dmen tilt the ice in such an overwhelming manner that you live with the mistakes because the good far outweighs the bad, he's still a +5 this season despite his "awful" play and an abnormally low save percentage backstopping him when he's on the ice. You don't ever trade Dmen like Bouchard, you hold on to them as tight as you can if you're lucky enough to land one.

This. Reminds me of people shitting on Drai and esp McDavid for turnovers...granted Drai turnovers tend to be self-inflicted ill advised no lookers lol

These high skill guys are always gonna have the puck and they're bound to make a f up here or there.

I still remember Bouchard Knight days and people questioning his defensive game...kind of hard to grade the guy 'defensively' when he always had the puck.

Dont remember if it was Button or someone else on TSN saying the best defense is to not allow your opponent to have the puck

 

[Louis Cypher]

This. Reminds me of people shitting on Drai and esp McDavid for turnovers...granted Drai turnovers tend to be self-inflicted ill advised no lookers lol

These high skill guys are always gonna have the puck and they're bound to make a f up here or there.

I still remember Bouchard Knight days and people questioning his defensive game...kind of hard to grade the guy 'defensively' when he always had the puck.

Dont remember if it was Button or someone else on TSN saying the best defense is to not allow your opponent to have the puck

Exactly. These guys play more minutes than anyone on the team and they usually have the puck. Bouch was playing over 30 mins a game in London sometimes.

I'll agree he hasn't been consistently great so far and had made mistakes that lead to goals but you could say that for a lot of people on this team so far this year. When he does play great, he's other worldly.

 

[foshizzle]

This is what a goalie can do.

Canucks have 8 shots in almost 2 periods and like 5 of them are on a PP. Maybe 1 high danger chance call game.

Bruins have had a bunch and Lankenen just saving everything

Crazy what a good goalie coach can do

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Crazy what a good goalie coach can do

Or how they do when not playing the Oilers? lol.

 

[foshizzle]

Bouchard has had more mistakes than just the Toronto game. Early in the season there was a ton of grumbling about his lackluster play. He's not MA Bergeron for sure but he's definitely prone to extremely stupid errors that he shouldn't be making at this level.

This is false. Numbers prove that. Problem with eye tests, like @Spawn said, have biases. Mistakes are extrapolated. Bouchard has better underlying metrics than both Makar and Hughes. Just watch next game- how many plays Bouchard makes in the neutral zone. Any loose pucks are back on sticks of our forwards. No one else can do that. Watch how many times Ekholm gives the puck up to Bouchard to make the play. Also- please watch between the centre line and our blue line and how many zone entries are denied by Bouchard. It’s not all shot blocking with your face anymore

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Hockey sense can’t make up for skating near as much on D.

Pronger wasn't a burner, not saying that Jiricek could hold Pronger's jock, but it is possible for a guy that isn't a great skater to still be a good defenseman.

This is turning into a cartoon. That’s more than what they want for Provorov (which is just a first)

I'd give up our 1st and Wanner.

 

[frag2]

Exactly. These guys play more minutes than anyone on the team and they usually have the puck. Bouch was playing over 30 mins a game in London sometimes.

I'll agree he hasn't been consistently great so far and had made mistakes that lead to goals but you could say that for a lot of people on this team so far this year. When he does play great, he's other worldly.

Bouch main problem this season IMO is his lack of urgency. It's night and day vs playoffs Bouch.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Bouch main problem this season IMO is his lack of urgency. It's night and day vs his playoffs Bouch.

He had the same problem last season. It seems like most of our key guys are slow starters for whatever reason(s).

 

[Yuke]

Very little attention has been paid to the position in the last few years. We should and we should do it now. Options and future pieces are out there now.

I dont think this is accurate. Drafted list.
2016 Wells, 2017 Skinner, 2018 Rodrigue, 2019 Konovalov, 2022 Jonsson, 2023 Day, 2024 Vinni
FA list 2024 Ungar and I think there is another.
We draft them but either not good at it or poor at getting them able for the NHL.

 

[McShogun99]

Around 9 million is probably fair value for Bouchard in a long term deal. They spent years looking for a Dman like him.

 

[McDNicks17]

Pronger wasn't a burner, not saying that Jiricek could hold Pronger's jock, but it is possible for a guy that isn't a great skater to still be a good defenseman.

I think that fits for average skaters, but not for straight up bad skaters.

Like last season, Bouchard's EDGE numbers were closer to McDavid's than Jiricek's were to Bouchard's. That's how bad of skating we're talking about.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I think that fits for average skaters, but not for straight up bad skaters.

Like last season, Bouchard's EDGE numbers were closer to McDavid's than Jiricek's were to Bouchard's. That's how bad of skating we're talking about.

So I only have highlites to go off of but guy didn't look like Alex Plante in them fwiw. Are the stats that you reference from this season or last? Have they gotten any better if it's from this year?

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

This is false. Numbers prove that. Problem with eye tests, like @Spawn said, have biases. Mistakes are extrapolated. Bouchard has better underlying metrics than both Makar and Hughes. Just watch next game- how many plays Bouchard makes in the neutral zone. Any loose pucks are back on sticks of our forwards. No one else can do that. Watch how many times Ekholm gives the puck up to Bouchard to make the play. Also- please watch between the centre line and our blue line and how many zone entries are denied by Bouchard. It’s not all shot blocking with your face anymore

Analytics still don't always tell the whole tale though. In fact the analytics paint last game against the Rangers as close even though anyone watching would know it wasn't.

I've said that analytics have their place but using them as some sort of bible is a mistake. It's important to use both the eye test and the analytics to determine what's what.

Hockey more than any other sport has so, so many variables at a single given moment: Broken equipment, ice conditions, officiating, crazy bounces, etc etc etc.

 

[McDNicks17]

So I only have highlites to go off of but guy didn't look like Alex Plante in them fwiw. Are the stats that you reference from this season or last? Have they gotten any better if it's from this year?

Those are last season's numbers.

They're a bit better this year, but the small sample makes them kind of screwy e.g. Emberson is 92nd percentile in speed right now.

 

[McTonyBrar]

Trade chatter around Rasmus Ristolainen picking up.

I wonder which team is talking to Philly right now

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Those are last season's numbers.

They're a bit better this year, but the small sample makes them kind of screwy e.g. Emberson is 92nd percentile in speed right now.

Emberson can wheel.

 

[McTonyBrar]

I'm hoping the Oilers go for younger than Fowler. He'd help now but if the Oilers are spending prime assets, I want a multi-year/long term solution. Then again, Ekholm was the same age as Fowler when the Oilers acquired him but Fowler ain't no Ekholm.

I'm not sure why people think Fowler is some guy on his pension? He's 32. He had 39 points last year, 48 the year before, 42 the year before. He hasn't even gotten slow yet. I don't see what the problem would be in getting him

 

[VeteranPresence]

Trade chatter around Rasmus Ristolainen picking up.

I wonder which team is talking to Philly right now

Pls no. I don't remotely see a way to fit in his salary and he's having another horrendous season at age 30. I'd pay a pretty penny for Sanheim though, that would be the kind of "Ekholm like" player Stauffer was hinting at last week.

I'm not sure why people think Fowler is some guy on his pension? He's 32. He had 39 points last year, 48 the year before, 42 the year before. He hasn't even gotten slow yet. I don't see what the problem would be in getting him

Fowler would be fine. Don't love it but fine. Much better than Risto.

 

[Arpeggio]

You guys are so out to lunch on Bouchard. Dude is an absolute killer every year in the playoffs. Who gives a shit if he makes a couple of poor reads in October and November. If he has another run like last season, he'll clear 10 million easy, and be worth every penny.