Friedman: Oilers interested in Coyotes' Nick Bjugstad

[Roof Daddy]

My only hope out of this news is that Holland has been talking with Armstrong about Chychrun and discussing Bjugstad is just a plan C or D if a bigger deal can’t be struck.

I’m kinda done with the Brassard/AA/Kulikov/Kulak “upgrades” at the deadline. Change the strategy and go for a bigger player Kenny.

 

[Vitto79]

This guy has been hanging around the league
I’d take him as a big body 4th line C but wouldn’t want to do more than a 4th pick

 

[57special]

Bjugstad is very tall and long, but not physical. In the past, his skating was really bad due a to a bad back, but it seems to have gotten better this year. Knows how to play, has a bit of skill, covers a fair amount of ice.

Anyone expecting him to play a top 6 role on a playoff team is going to be disappointed.

 

[Oddbob]

So you are saying the Oilers has only 3 top 6 players ?

McDavid
Draisaitl
Kane
Hyman
RNH

4 top 15 scorers
only team with 4 players with 60 points .

Their D and bottom 6 are their weak spot

As for your point on only putting up points with Mcd or Draisaitl. Go thru the NHL and take good players away from all the top players on said team and see how their numbers looks.

The point is, that other teams secondary guys have a lot more pts than the Oilers secondary guys. Where did I say that RNH, Kane or Hyman weren't top 6 guys? I said the guys that don't play with the top 2 don't put up pts. RNH, Hyman and Kane all play with the top 2 and I never said anywhere they weren't top 6. I was very clearly talking about the rest of the roster which is bare bones offensively. Adding a Bjugstad doesn't help them score more, and in the playoffs it is very tough to win with so little depth scoring.

 

[Laus723]

Used to call Bjugstad the porcelain giant when he was on the Panthers. He’s a ridiculously good guy, but he’s plays (or used to) like he’s 5’9, not like he’s 6’6.

So, if you’re looking for a big man, you’re probably going to be disappointed.

 

[SwedishFire]

Don't the Oilers have enough low pt bottom 9 guys? Their problem is ABSOLUTELY no secondary scoring. The top guy on the team for pts that don't play with the Connor and Leon regularly have 15-18 pts which is super low.

Nope!! Ryan and McLeod has shwon diffent. Kostin has cooled off a bit, but can score too. Holloway may doesnt score much, but it will come.
Its still the D that is the problem, or defensive game from forwards.

Trade for a D that can play both sudes
Make Barrie a forward. And was Scoviour really that bad? Wasnt he a good defensive player?

Lines are always fuun

Hyman McDavid Barrie
Kane Leon Ryan
Holloway Nuge Kostin
Fogele McLeod Järnmark/Pulju

 

[dixie]

I know the price is right, but someone tell me why a 6 ft 6 forward has been traded so many times?

 

[SwedishFire]

So you are saying the Oilers has only 3 top 6 players ?

McDavid
Draisaitl
Kane
Hyman
RNH

4 top 15 scorers
only team with 4 players with 60 points .

Their D and bottom 6 are their weak spot

As for your point on only putting up points with Mcd or Draisaitl. Go thru the NHL and take good players away from all the top players on said team and see how their numbers looks.

Can make Barrie the last top6er. Answer is in the room?

 

[Seachd]

I know the price is right, but someone tell me why a 6 ft 6 forward has been traded so many times?

In 12 years he’s only been traded twice.

 

[BAdvocate]

All I remember about Bjugstad is some Florida fan hating him so much that he changed his HFBoards name to something like "Trade Nick Bjugstad". Someone help me out with this guy because what I'm reading about him in this thread and what I read about him when I still knew he was in the league are pretty far apart.

Did they use ALL CAPS A LOT? If so, you can definitely trust their evaluation

He neither seeks out physical confrontations nor hides from them. Very calm demeanor on and off the ice, and said to be a real nice guy, which is sometimes mistaken for being passive on the ice, but he's not.

I suspect he's one of the NHL'ers where the average fans evaluation of value is furthest when compared to the value given by coaches around the league.

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

I shouldn’t be as baffled by fan reactions in this thread as I am; after all, GMJR made the exact same mistakes when acquiring Bjugstad from Florida.

-He does not play a playoff brand of hockey.
-He is not good defensively.
-On real hockey teams that aren’t the Coyotes, he doesn’t chip in offensively.

He is 6’6”. That is all. Stop applying attributes to him that you would normally expect from a 6’6” player. He is none of those things.

 

[biturbo19]

I shouldn’t be as baffled by fan reactions in this thread as I am; after all, GMJR made the exact same mistakes when acquiring Bjugstad from Florida.

-He does not play a playoff brand of hockey.
-He is not good defensively.
-On real hockey teams that aren’t the Coyotes, he doesn’t chip in offensively.

He is 6’6”. That is all. Stop applying attributes to him that you would normally expect from a 6’6” player. He is none of those things.

Yeah. It feels like the only way you'd land on the impression that Bjugstad is this big, responsible, physical, "playoff ready" bruiser...is if your scouting consisted of looking up his Height and Weight on his profile and calling it a day.


I get why the Oilers might be interested. They could use a big RH Center with a bit of flexibility to float around the lineup. They're working with limited assets that they'll want to give up, and not much of any cap space to utilize. So their options are going to be limited. Poking around the periphery for depth guys like Bjugstad who maybe kinda vaguely, superficially "fit a need" might be about all the Oilers can really manage.


Or maybe they're hoping lightning strikes twice, and they get another Klim Kostin. But if that's the case, i might direct them toward the age (and experience) difference between the two situations. Where Kostin was clearly still young, with some potential untapped upside...Bjugstad, well, we know pretty much exactly what he is at this point. And it's not much more than filler.

 

[Okanagan]

If there is a softer “big man” in the league, I can’t think of him.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

According to the media, Oilers interested in every player available.

This years Toronto.

 

[BKarchitect]

Nobody expects Bjugstad to be a top six forward or return much in a trade. But he’s been legitimately solid this year and I think there are some misconceptions about how his game has been adapted to find new life in the league.

He’s not poor defensively at all - his even strength defensive metrics are very solid on a very poor defensive team. He’s a top PKer. He may not be physical but his long reach is extremely useful and in the defensive zone. He’s positionally versatile. And he can chip in more offense than your average rum dum 4th liner.

I’m not sure why in this threads people thumb their noses at guys like Bjugstad and Lafferty as minor acquisitions by team gunning for the Cup. Look at the minor low key moves past champs have made at the deadline that seemed like very unglamorous nothing burger deals but pay off over an extended Cup run. Bjugstad can definitely help the Oilers in a depth role.

 

[Homesick]

The point is, that other teams secondary guys have a lot more pts than the Oilers secondary guys. Where did I say that RNH, Kane or Hyman weren't top 6 guys? I said the guys that don't play with the top 2 don't put up pts. RNH, Hyman and Kane all play with the top 2 and I never said anywhere they weren't top 6. I was very clearly talking about the rest of the roster which is bare bones offensively. Adding a Bjugstad doesn't help them score more, and in the playoffs it is very tough to win with so little depth scoring.

You said "don't the Oilers have enough bottom 9 guys?" The Oilers play 11 forwards and 7 defenseman.
Bruins have
Nosek 8 points
Smith 9 points
Frederic 18 points
Foglino 20 points
Coyle 26 points

Oilers have
Holloway 9 points
Puljujarvi 10 points
Foegele 10 points
Kostin 13 points
McLeod 15 points

All teams home guys in the bottom
*and no I'm not comparing the Oilers to the #1 team in the league

 

[zar]

According to the media, Oilers interested in every player available.

It’s done to throw off Treliving, who gets a hard on for every player the Oilers are rumoured to be going after.

 

[Canes]

I don't watch him, but this is the perception of big guys. big = physical = hits = playoff hockey.

If that were the case, Dougie Hamilton would be Scott Stevens mixed with Chris Pronger. But yeah, anyone with two brain cells to rub together should realize just being big means nothing in the modern NHL.

 

[Oddbob]

Nope!! Ryan and McLeod has shwon diffent. Kostin has cooled off a bit, but can score too. Holloway may doesnt score much, but it will come.
Its still the D that is the problem, or defensive game from forwards.

Trade for a D that can play both sudes
Make Barrie a forward. And was Scoviour really that bad? Wasnt he a good defensive player?

Lines are always fuun

Hyman McDavid Barrie
Kane Leon Ryan
Holloway Nuge Kostin
Fogele McLeod Järnmark/Pulju

15 pts from one and 12 from the other isn't good scoring numbers.

 

[Oddbob]

You said "don't the Oilers have enough bottom 9 guys?" The Oilers play 11 forwards and 7 defenseman.
Bruins have
Nosek 8 points
Smith 9 points
Frederic 18 points
Foglino 20 points
Coyle 26 points

Oilers have
Holloway 9 points
Puljujarvi 10 points
Foegele 10 points
Kostin 13 points
McLeod 15 points

All teams home guys in the bottom
*and no I'm not comparing the Oilers to the #1 team in the league

The Bruins guys you mentioned have 81 combined pts vs 57 from the Oilers you mentioned. That is 24 pt difference which is a lot, which was the whole pt of my comment. The Oilers have no secondary scoring.

 

[TheNewEra]

isnt he solid defensively? that and him having a cheap cap hit should mean most contenders would be interested, even if its as a 13th forward (not saying he is a 13th forward but you get the point)

 

[dixie]

I once had a coach who had a perfect description for guys like Bjugstad.ITS NOt H I S FAULT HE S BIG.

 

[Captain97]

Kinda makes sense no? The Oilers need better depth forwards and ideally a 4/5 Dman to log some defensive duties no?

 

[Homesick]

The Bruins guys you mentioned have 81 combined pts vs 57 from the Oilers you mentioned. That is 24 pt difference which is a lot, which was the whole pt of my comment. The Oilers have no secondary scoring.

Just so happens those Oilers players also played 24 games less. I used the Bruins because that team is unreal this year and Bruins fans would love to upgrade some of those players as well. No teams bottom 6 are world beaters
Whats wrong with upgrading a Foegele or Puljujarvi with a player that kills penalties >50% FO's and double the offense?

 

[Oddbob]

Just so happens those Oilers players also played 24 games less. I used the Bruins because that team is unreal this year and Bruins fans would love to upgrade some of those players as well. No teams bottom 6 are world beaters
Whats wrong with upgrading a Foegele or Puljujarvi with a player that kills penalties >50% FO's and double the offense?

Those Oiler players aren't putting 24 pts in those 24 games so that means very little. Bjug won't score like he is in Arizona, cause he is playing a lot more due to lack of talent in Arizona. Getting Bjug would be fine, but in the playoffs if Connor or Leon aren't doing almost all the lifting it will hurt the Oilers again. Playoffs you need some of those depth guys to chip in regularly.