Confirmed with Link: Bouchard re-signs 2yrs $3.9M per

[joestevens29]

Think Bouchard needs to improve his even strength points to get into that 70+ range.

You give him the most PP points by a d-man and he is around 60 points last year.

Even if you use Barrie's pace he was on that would put him at 64 points.

I don't think Bouchard is going to come in and just all of a sudden get 50PP points, something that hasn't happened since 05-06. It's almost been two decades since someone had 40+ power play points from the backend.

 

[nally]

Well boys and girls, enjoy watching Bouchard for the next couple seasons. You will not get to see him play for the Oilers again.

Can't we now just sign him to an extension? As in another extension...like how Crosby signed his second big contract

 

[tiger_80]

We have the cap space for 21 players assuming we sign another at approx 1.1 M or less, Holloway is on the team, Lavoie is not and we have 7 D. This example assumes a C at 775 (Sutter, Pederson whomever)


View attachment 738420View attachment 738419

imho, Sutter won't be signed. The team is close to being set.
It will be something like:

Hyman-McDavid-Brown
Kane-Draisaitl-RNH
Janmark-McLeod-Foegele
Holloway-Ryan-X
X
(the empty spots could be filled by any of Pedersen, Caggiula, Lavoie, Bourgault and whoever is on the farm).

Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Broberg
Desharnais

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

imho, Sutter won't be signed. The team is close to being set.
It will be something like:

Hyman-McDavid-Brown
Kane-Draisaitl-RNH
Janmark-McLeod-Foegele
Holloway-Ryan-X
X
(the empty spots could be filled by any of Pedersen, Caggiula, Lavoie, Bourgault and whoever is on the farm).

Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Broberg
Desharnais

Probably not but Pederson and why I wrote Sutter, Pederson, whomever, but Pederson probably takes the 4C spot over Ryan if that’s the case. I’m pulling for Sutter to make it though.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

https://x.com/bigheadhcky/status/1694417684291825821?s=46

 

[Broberg Speed]

Can't we now just sign him to an extension? As in another extension...like how Crosby signed his second big contract

Must wait until January 1st during the second year of the contract to sign and make it official I believe.

Start negotiations early.

Also open communications with the other GMs to investigate all the conceivable trade scenarios.

Making room for Draisaitl's extension outweighs re-signing Bouchard on the list of priorities. Then planning for McDavid's extension comes next.

 

[Fourier]

Must wait until January 1st during the second year of the contract to sign and make it official I believe.

Start negotiations early.

Also open communications with the other GMs to investigate all the conceivable trade scenarios.

Making room for Draisaitl's extension outweighs re-signing Bouchard on the list of priorities. Then planning for McDavid's extension comes next.

The rule is that on a multi-year deal you can extend the player on July 1 before the last year of his deal. A one year contract can be extended on Jan 1.

The deal itself can be negotiated earlier but until it is formally registered it is not binding on either party.

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

This is going to be a bargain probably from the get go. I called Bouchard getting like 50-60 points last season, he didn’t really get the chance until Barrie was traded though. When he got the chance he delivered, he was dynamite offensively in the playoffs too, took the physical beating and kept going.

I think he gets 60+ points in both years of this deal barring any injuries.

If he takes some steps defensively and can play well with Nurse and not just Ekholm, he’s gonna get paid like Nurse and he’ll deserve it.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

This is going to be a bargain probably from the get go. I called Bouchard getting like 50-60 points last season, he didn’t really get the chance until Barrie was traded though. When he got the chance he delivered, he was dynamite offensively in the playoffs too, took the physical beating and kept going.

I think he gets 60+ points in both years of this deal barring any injuries.

If he takes some steps defensively and can play well with Nurse and not just Ekholm, he’s gonna get paid like Nurse and he’ll deserve it.

Also needs to improve his 5 on 5 scoring. Which i think he will.

 

[tiger_80]

This is going to be a bargain probably from the get go. I called Bouchard getting like 50-60 points last season, he didn’t really get the chance until Barrie was traded though. When he got the chance he delivered, he was dynamite offensively in the playoffs too, took the physical beating and kept going.

I think he gets 60+ points in both years of this deal barring any injuries.

If he takes some steps defensively and can play well with Nurse and not just Ekholm, he’s gonna get paid like Nurse and he’ll deserve it.

The Oilers need to win the cup in the next two years. With extensions to Draisail and Bouchard looming on the horizon, they won't be able to keep much depth and would have to retool.

 

[Broberg Speed]

The Oilers need to win the cup in the next two years. With extensions to Draisail and Bouchard looming on the horizon, they won't be able to keep much depth and would have to retool.

At that point in time you find another power play specialist to score an inflated whack of points with McDavid and Draisaitl from the point. They'll be salivating to come to Edmonton after Bouchard's windfall with another NHL team.

Draisaitl gets signed and Bouchard gets traded.

These two years are it for the BouchBombs. Then he'll price himself out of the market for what he brings. And be grateful. He doesn't even have to learn to play defense over the next two seasons, which he certainly won't. And he's not getting any faster.

Perfect timing.

 

[tiger_80]

At that point in time you find another power play specialist. They'll be salivating to come to Edmonton.

Draisaitl gets signed and Bouchard gets traded.

Perfect timing.

Bouchard is no mere PP specialist like Barrie though. But I guess he will get traded if the OIlers do not have cap space.

 

[Broberg Speed]

Bouchard is no mere PP specialist like Barrie though. But I guess he will get traded if the OIlers do not have cap space.

When Barrie was Bouchard's age he was a far better player than Bouchard currently is. Points be damned Barrie was a premier puck transporter.

 

[tiger_80]

When Barrie was Bouchard's age he was a far better player than Bouchard currently is. Points be damned Barrie was a premier puck transporter.

Bouchard's defense is very underrated. Apparently he was the best on the Oilers defending against the zone entry and retrieving the pucks off the cycle.

 

[Draiskull]

With the departure of Barrie, I expect a big jump in numbers (70+ points/season) in the next 2 seasons, barring injuries.

10+ millions per year incoming in his next deal, will be hard to keep.

he isnt sniffing anything close to 10M unless he can carry the top pairing. Long ways to go for Bouchard.
time to enjoy the next couple seasons and not worry about what he, MacLeod or Draisaitl may command in 2yrs.

 

[tiger_80]

The team is actually no worse than at the start of last year and depending on how new additions fare may be better.

Basically it's Yamamoto and Barrie out, Brown and Ekholm in. Kostin and Bjugstad were added in the course of the season. Holloway may replace Kostin, and they would have to find a replacement for Bjugstad at the trade deadline. Ideally, also an upgrade on Desharnais.

 

[duul]

Think Bouchard needs to improve his even strength points to get into that 70+ range.

You give him the most PP points by a d-man and he is around 60 points last year.

Even if you use Barrie's pace he was on that would put him at 64 points.

I don't think Bouchard is going to come in and just all of a sudden get 50PP points, something that hasn't happened since 05-06. It's almost been two decades since someone had 40+ power play points from the backend.

He's essentially a Barrie replacement. They fill the same niche. Never going to be even strength stalwarts by any means. Barrie led the entire league in points for defencemen and didn't get a sniff at Norris votes. Bouchard won't be any different.

 

[FlameChampion]

The team is actually no worse than at the start of last year and depending on how new additions fare may be better.

Basically it's Yamamoto and Barrie out, Brown and Ekholm in. Kostin and Bjugstad were added in the course of the season. Holloway may replace Kostin, and they would have to find a replacement for Bjugstad at the trade deadline. Ideally, also an upgrade on Desharnais.

The team starting this season is considerably better than the one starting last year. Full year of Ekholm is huge. Bouchard put in a position to succeed from the start of the year.

It’s debatable if the team is better now than the one that finished the last season but this team will also be better at the trade deadline than it is now.

 

[tiger_80]

The team starting this season is considerably better than the one starting last year. Full year of Ekholm is huge. Bouchard put in a position to succeed from the start of the year.

It’s debatable if the team is better now than the one that finished the last season but this team will also be better at the trade deadline than it is now.

Defense is better. Bouchard is better than barrie in the same role, and Ekholm is a huge defensive upgrade on Bouchard at the start of the year. Brown is unknown but if he stays healthy, he should at least be no worse than Yamamoto. Hopefully, Holloway, Lavoie, Bourgault show that they belong and can contribute in the course of the year.

 

[Seanaconda]

They have the money to sign him as our 12th forward.

You always have money to sign a guy to league min so long as you're willing to send someone else down as it clears that amount .

Sorry more for the guy you were replying to than you lol

 

[LDN]

Is he your #1 D now?

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Is he your #1 D now?

#1 offensively, he'll run the PP and get alot of looks, but he's got a bit to do yet. However he's really trending well.

 

[FlameChampion]

Is he your #1 D now?

#3 I guess.

Ekholm and Nurse are #1/2.

Bouchard will run the PP now fulltime. I hope that the confidence he gains being put in a position to succeed, improves other aspects of his game.

 

[bucks_oil]

Why it took so long to get done.

This is a great deal for the Oilers and one I'd been arguing for since last summer (when the idea of locking him into 8 x $6-7M was being discussed.... actually, it came in less than I expected, so I'm super pumped.

Given where we are with our cap, this is a great outcome for us and provides us certainty through Drai's final year... after which we are either blowing it up or doubling down, but with a lot fewer unknowns.

That $400K roughly that we have left over should be saved for the deadline... it will multiply... and if we can be creative with paper transactions during the season, perhaps we can accrue a bit more in cap for the deadline.

Are there any cap-ologists out there? If we accrue the $400K, buffer it up with some paper transactions during the season, and then decided to trade a Ceci, Kulak or Foegele at the deadline, how much effective cap space (from an AAV perspective) would we have available?

My math says:
$400K in cap x 4.65 = $1.8M...
I got the 4.65 from capfriendly, looking at the Bruins who have $429K in cap space now and $1.995M in projected cap space at the deadline. ($1.995/429K = 4.65)

So unless I'm wrong (cap-ologists?) we'd have $5.0M ($1.8M saved + his $3.2M) available for upgrading at the deadline if we traded Ceci. Or just shy of $7M to spend if we traded both Ceci and Kulak, and replaced them on the roster with one expensive $7M and another 7th D at league min.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Probably not but Pederson and why I wrote Sutter, Pederson, whomever, but Pederson probably takes the 4C spot over Ryan if that’s the case. I’m pulling for Sutter to make it though.

Out of town pundits seem to think Pederson will take the spot. I was asleep on this one for sure. Not sure what he is tbh.

Really I thought this was just a Bakersfield addition. Why would anybody think Pederson has an inside track? I can't recall seeing him play, and he's really not played many NHL games. Doesn't seem any shoe in to me.

I probably feel better about Sutter as well.

This is a great deal for the Oilers and one I'd been arguing for since last summer (when the idea of locking him into 8 x $6-7M was being discussed.... actually, it came in less than I expected, so I'm super pumped.

Given where we are with our cap, this is a great outcome for us and provides us certainty through Drai's final year... after which we are either blowing it up or doubling down, but with a lot fewer unknowns.

That $400K roughly that we have left over should be saved for the deadline... it will multiply... and if we can be creative with paper transactions during the season, perhaps we can accrue a bit more in cap for the deadline.

Are there any cap-ologists out there? If we accrue the $400K, buffer it up with some paper transactions during the season, and then decided to trade a Ceci, Kulak or Foegele at the deadline, how much effective cap space (from an AAV perspective) would we have available?

My math says:
$400K in cap x 4.65 = $1.8M...
I got the 4.65 from capfriendly, looking at the Bruins who have $429K in cap space now and $1.995M in projected cap space at the deadline. ($1.995/429K = 4.65)

So unless I'm wrong (cap-ologists?) we'd have $5.0M ($1.8M saved + his $3.2M) available for upgrading at the deadline if we traded Ceci. Or just shy of $7M to spend if we traded both Ceci and Kulak, and replaced them on the roster with one expensive $7M and another 7th D at league min.

Its the right deal anyways due to our cap and compete window that we have as a known. Holland adopting the worry about the rest later which is the correct decision for where this club is at.