Why wouldnt JVR and Bozak for Nugent Hopinks work. JVR is a 30 goal scorer, 60+ point guy with size and speed locked in a reasonable cap it and is only 26. On top of that Bozak can play any where in the line up, can help but the PK and PP and while he may not be an ideal 1 or 2 centre he certainly got the puck to Phil Kessel effectively. Why couldn't he the same for Yakupov, Hall or Eberle, while providing more versatility and better defensive zone play. *Also for another poster I know Lupul used to play in Edmonton, again I didn't say he'd be an ideal fit I simply said he and JVR are Toronto's sizable wingers that can produce and skate well enough to play with speed.
It's not like adding JVR would be a bad thing in a vacuum, but this particular trade is using our most valuable theoretically-moveable asset in order to acquire... a middle six center and another "good but not quite elite" winger. It doesn't do anything to address the glaring lack of a #1D (or even, really, a good #2) that the Oilers are currently suffering from, which is a problem that weakens our entire d-corps, as basically every defenseman on the Oilers is playing higher in the lineup than they should be in a perfect world.
On top of that, Bozak's attributes being extolled are basically just "worse than RNH at everything but
maybe defensive zone coverage". RNH is already playing in all situations, is consistently one of the highest forwards in ice time (last season, this was true across the entire league), and is still on pace for over 50 points even though he's been somewhat poor of late. The Oilers would be substantially downgrading at center in order to upgrade on the wings, which is poor asset management IMO, especially given that we already have Hall, Pouliot, Eberle, and Yakupov on the wings in the top 6. JVR is definitely better than Pouliot and Yakupov, probably on par with Eberle, and worse than Hall. Sure, acquiring a big, fast guy who can score would be great, but it's simply not priority number one.
Bobby Ryan would be a long shot but I included him because of Ottawa's need for a number one centre an he is the only real value in Ottawa and the deal would likely have much more surrounding it but those players would be the centerpieces.
This is the same issue. Bobby Ryan is a good player, arguably in that same "good but not quite elite" tier as JVR (although personally I prefer JVR over Ryan). If we made this kind of trade, we'd be left with one of McDavid or Draisaitl having to take on the "plays in all situations" role that RNH is currently filling, as Lander and Letestu are incompatible with scoring roles.
The Oilers have a lot of problems with their roster, which does include the lack of big bodies in the top six, but this is a concern which is much further down the list. Our
entire defensive lineup is playing tougher opposition than they can really handle due to the lack of a true top pairing d-man. This hole in the roster affects the entire team, since every single defenseman is out of their depth, it's limiting the ability of the entire Oilers lineup to get out of the defensive zone. A big winger would help the top six look better, sure, but wouldn't improve the overall team performance that much.
If you're trading a premiere asset like RNH, you need to address the
big concerns first, rather than addressing issues like balance in the top 6 or effective role players in the bottom 6. Yes, these problems need to be solved, but you don't expend your best assets to do so.
