Proposal: Trade Bouchard...

[bucks_oil]

I rarely post trade proposals or start threads for that matter. Deperate times...

I think we need to move on from Bouchard. His defensive funk is more than just a sophomore/3rd year dip. His lazy play has already cost Campbell and Woody their jobs. Yes, I said it. Nobody is saying that Campbell or Woody are elite level at what they do, but they should both still be in the NHL.

I'm not sure the same can be said about Bouchard... and we simply don't have time for him to grow up and discover two way play. He may still have some value on this bridge deal.

To Nashville: Bouchard, McLeod, Holloway, 1st
To Edmonton: Saros 20% retained, Barrie 50% retained

How much more do we need to add?

EDIT: we could of course send them Campbell instead of the retention, but I think with contract duration they'd certainly prefer the retention.

Click to read more...

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

No.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I rarely post trade proposals or start threads for that matter. Deperate times...

I think we need to move on from Bouchard. His defensive funk is more than just a sophomore/3rd year dip. His lazy play has already cost Campbell and Woody their jobs. Yes, I said it. Nobody is saying that Campbell or Woody are elite level at what they do, but they should both still be in the NHL.

I'm not sure the same can be said about Bouchard... and we simply don't have time for him to grow up and discover two way play. He may still have some value on this bridge deal.

To Nashville: Bouchard, McLeod, Holloway, 1st
To Edmonton: Saros 20% retained, Barrie 50% retained

How much more do we need to add?

EDIT: we could of course send them Campbell instead of the retention, but I think with contract duration they'd certainly prefer the retention.

Not convinced. As recently as the Ekholm addition Booch was looking like something.

I don't think we can separate the goaltending on this club with what it would be like to be a young D on this club. i.e. so many times you make a mistake the goal light is flashing. This is impacting even players with the might of McDrai.

its disconcerting, of course for any young player and his contemporary, Broberg, looks destroyed when it happens.

Booch has unmistakable talent. It was striking how much this was evident in a more simplified 3 on 3 OT where there are less opponents to focus on.

I don't think with Booch its got to do with lazy. Its read oriented in own zone, and some learned panic.

This could be an allstar at some point.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

As much as his defensive play makes my eyes roll into the back of my head if we trade him it’s Justin Schultz v 2.0.

We trade him and another team will play him on the bottom pair while fixing his defensive game and go on to win 2 Stanley Cups with him.

We are so thin on D that he’s playing too much at evens too high up the batting order and we have a new untested D coach whose the owners lap dog who thinks offence is better than defence.

Team needs a major roster reset where he can be positioned and coached up for success rather than keep putting him in positions to fail.

 

[joestevens29]

As much as his defensive play makes my eyes roll into the back of my head if we trade him it’s Justin Schultz v 2.0.

We trade him and another team will play him on the bottom pair while fixing his defensive game and go on to win 2 Stanley Cups with him.

We are so thin on D that he’s playing too much at evens too high up the batting order and we have a new untested D coach whose the owners lap dog who thinks offence is better than defence.

Team needs a major roster reset where he can be positioned and coached up for success rather than keep putting him in positions to fail.

I mean it depends what we trade him for.

Schultz was a pure cap dump, but Bouchard actually does bring a lot more value than Schultz did. If you are getting some sort of more rounded d-man making similar money then maybe you take a look. But if it's a for a third rounder again, no thanks.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I mean it depends what we trade him for.

Schultz was a pure cap dump, but Bouchard actually does bring a lot more value than Schultz did. If you are getting some sort of more rounded d-man making similar money then maybe you take a look. But if it's a for a third rounder again, no thanks.

Remember it’s the Oilers so we would trade him for a 3rd but we’d have to throw in McLoed and a 2nd.

That said Bouchard suffers from the same issues Schultz did. Playing too high up the lineup with a sordid defensive game.

 

[bellagiobob]

I'd start with sitting his ass, which should have happened weeks ago. See how he reacts when the entitlement is gone. I want to see if the player has any kind of team consciousness before we move him. And I'm not convinced that he does. He simply doesn't seem to care, and he shows it every game.

 

[KlefDown]

No.

 

[bone]

I rarely post trade proposals or start threads for that matter. Deperate times...

I think we need to move on from Bouchard. His defensive funk is more than just a sophomore/3rd year dip. His lazy play has already cost Campbell and Woody their jobs. Yes, I said it. Nobody is saying that Campbell or Woody are elite level at what they do, but they should both still be in the NHL.

I'm not sure the same can be said about Bouchard... and we simply don't have time for him to grow up and discover two way play. He may still have some value on this bridge deal.

To Nashville: Bouchard, McLeod, Holloway, 1st
To Edmonton: Saros 20% retained, Barrie 50% retained

How much more do we need to add?

EDIT: we could of course send them Campbell instead of the retention, but I think with contract duration they'd certainly prefer the retention.

You should probably stick to this. Blaming him solely for people losing their jobs, is pretty daft.

This team needs to be about contract efficiencies rather than contract inefficiencies.

I don't necessarily hate the details of your proposal on the surface, but this isn't a better team post trade.

This essentially make Barrie a top 4 dman again, something we couldn't accept last year this time with Desharnais behind him instead of Bouchard, that's a disaster in waiting.

This also makes our third line Centre Derek Ryan with Foegele and Gagner as his wingers. Woof woof. Now just imagine what that fourth line looks like (Hello Brad Malone).

 

[OddManRush]

Soft PP specialist who is horrific defensively. All too often his laziness and/or disinterest costs the team majorly. You absolutely pull the trigger on a trade that helps this team in the now. Who gives a shit if he finds his form for the Oilers in 2026 after Leon and Connor are gone?

 

[Soundwave]

I would shop him in the summer and see what is available, you could likely get a monster haul for him.

Even for those people are saying "no" ... are you willing to pay him $8.5 million per? How about $9 per to go with Darnell Nurse? Then you have to pay Draisaitl and McDavid's raises too.

 

[Fourier]

The complicating issue here is the pending cost of his offense. We have many examples that suggest that even if his defensive game does not improve he will get paid. If he is a ppg or very close to it over the next two years he is probably looking at $8M+ on his next deal.

This is going to be a tough decision for the team. He may well have enough value to bring back assets that are difference makers. The only other assets the team have right now that this can be said of are Draisaitl and McDavid.

I would definitely not dismiss this out of hand;

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

I've been thinking about this myself. It seems like the majority of posters have turned this into a "It's not Bouchard's fault we suck" argument. To me it's less about playing the blame game and more about what this team has and needs to be successful.

Being a great player and a great asset shouldn't automatically mean he's untouchable. It's fair as an Oilers fan to not want to consider trading a good player as we're used to completely downgrading and blowing the trade rather than getting fair value. But that's not how trades should always work and maybe Holland isn't the one that should be making it.

Some people want to point at Justin Schultz as an example, but what about Mike Green? Washington, like us, could score for fun and he was putting up ridiculous offensive numbers. And despite having a prime Ovechkin and Backstrom, the Capitals never really got close to winning the cup with Green.

Bouchard represents the opposite of what this team needs. The numbers show there's almost no difference to the PP when Nurse, Barrie and Bouchard are the QB. Maybe people wouldn't be so hard on Nurse's contract if he replaced Bouch there and got the PP1 time that the rest of his contract comparables have been getting.

I really want to emphasize that I'm not suggesting we downgrade and trade him for peanuts, and I'm also not saying we should trade him because we suck right now.

It's been a while since a Stanley Cup winning defense had a player as poor defensively as Bouchard in their top-4.

 

[Tarus]

Everyone wants a young, dynamic offensive defenseman until they have to watch them play for their team, especially in Edmonton.

I'd rather keep Bouchard and wait for his defensive game to settle down, he's one of the few guys with glaring flaws that the Oilers have drafted over the last decade that is worth being patient with. There are much bigger problems with this team than a young, talented defenseman playing to a stereotype of being dangerous at both ends of the ice.

 

[Oilhawks]

Bouchard is an absolute tire fire defensively but they guy needs to play a more sheltered defensive role while he learns the defensive side of the game. Trading him right now would be a massive mistake.

 

[Soundwave]

Bouchard is an absolute tire fire defensively but they guy needs to play a more sheltered defensive role while he learns the defensive side of the game. Trading him right now would be a massive mistake.

Either way he's going to be asking for $8+, heck $9+ million soon enough because of his offense. This isn't like some 5 year runway the Oilers have with this player anymore, he's a short bridge, what kind of defense can you build when you're paying Bouchard + Nurse almost $20 million combined? And then how much are you paying on top of that for actual defensemen that cover for their guys mistakes? Not gonna be pretty unless this guy has a spiritual awakening about defense.

 

[bone]

I've been thinking about this myself. It seems like the majority of posters have turned this into a "It's not Bouchard's fault we suck" argument. To me it's less about playing the blame game and more about what this team has and needs to be successful.

Being a great player and a great asset shouldn't automatically mean he's untouchable. It's fair as an Oilers fan to not want to consider trading a good player as we're used to completely downgrading and blowing the trade rather than getting fair value. But that's not how trades should always work and maybe Holland isn't the one that should be making it.

Some people want to point at Justin Schultz as an example, but what about Mike Green? Washington, like us, could score for fun and he was putting up ridiculous offensive numbers. And despite having a prime Ovechkin and Backstrom, the Capitals never really got close to winning the cup with Green.

Bouchard represents the opposite of what this team needs. The numbers show there's almost no difference to the PP when Nurse, Barrie and Bouchard are the QB. Maybe people wouldn't be so hard on Nurse's contract if he replaced Bouch there and got the PP1 time that the rest of his contract comparables have been getting.

I really want to emphasize that I'm not suggesting we downgrade and trade him for peanuts, and I'm also not saying we should trade him because we suck right now.

It's been a while since a Stanley Cup winning defense had a player as poor defensively as Bouchard in their top-4.

So the question becomes whether there is a similarly aged player that could be viewed as elite defensively with a right handed shot and can still at least put up 20-30 points a year while shutting teams down for a similar price.

Tell me who that guy is, then maybe we talk.

 

[VainGretzky]

Just stop Bouchard can become better on defense, I have noticed since Coffey has been instructing him he is pinching a lot more, but this is a bad strategy Coffey had the speed to get back Bouchard doesn't Bouchard has made the most mistakes in his career last 4 games,
coincidence no it's not. I got flamed for suggesting Coffey's nickname would be Coffitup well here we go

 

[bone]

Either way he's going to be asking for $8+, heck $9+ million soon enough because of his offense. This isn't like some 5 year runway the Oilers have with this player anymore, he's a short bridge, what kind of defense can you build when you're paying Bouchard + Nurse almost $20 million combined? And then how much are you paying on top of that for actual defensemen that cover for their guys mistakes? Not gonna be pretty unless this guy has a spiritual awakening about defense.

He can ask whatever he wants, I just counter with how many offense only defensemen are in the top 30 NHL wise for salaries. Not very many, maybe Karlssson.

 

[Soundwave]

So the question becomes whether there is a similarly aged player that could be viewed as elite defensively with a right handed shot and can still at least put up 20-30 points a year while shutting teams down for a similar price.

Tell me who that guy is, then maybe we talk.

Doesn't neccessarily have to be a D. If you can get Carter Hart in a package for Evan Bouchard ... I'd do that.

Carter Hart wins you more hockey games and can put the team on his back for some wins over what Evan Bouchard does.

You can resign or reaquire a Tyson Barrie for a low cost if the concern is having a PP QB. Bouchard at present brings nothing to the d-corps defensively, it's just his offense you have to cover, but the Oilers did just fine last year with Barrie in that role.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

So the question becomes whether there is a similarly aged player that could be viewed as elite defensively with a right handed shot and can still at least put up 20-30 points a year while shutting teams down for a similar price.

Tell me who that guy is, then maybe we talk.

Thats the million dollar question.

Looking at McDavid and Draisaitl's contracts, I wouldn't be so sure that age is that important. I don't think Brett Pesce will sign an extension in Canada, but that's the sort of guy.

 

[VainGretzky]

Bouchard is an absolute tire fire defensively but they guy needs to play a more sheltered defensive role while he learns the defensive side of the game. Trading him right now would be a massive mistake.

This I agree with till he learns when a pinch is a good choice not a bad one

 

[Ninety7]

Not opposed for the right price.

Guy is hands down the worst defensive player I think I’ve seen.

Intensity was his knock in junior too, and I don’t think that’s something that can be fixed tbh.

 

[TKB21]

Can we package Nuge with Bouchard? Maybe bring in a couple players with heart?

 

[Stoneman89]

I'd start with sitting his ass, which should have happened weeks ago. See how he reacts when the entitlement is gone. I want to see if the player has any kind of team consciousness before we move him. And I'm not convinced that he does. He simply doesn't seem to care, and he shows it every game.

Exactly. Trading him is the last option. You try to rehab him first and foremost, and if part of that process is showing him you're not going to put up with his play by removing shifts or games, or minutes, then you do that.