Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread | You're My Boy Bouch!

[gordonhught]

This is the most boring offseason ever. Like around the league too, not just the Oilers.

Did you hear that Oprah and Bezos are going to buy up all the land in Lahaina for cheap?

edit - and they will be kicking the native Hawaiians out?

 

[VainGretzky]

You are out of your mind if you think Kane and Barrie took less to play here.

 

[Oilslick941611]

I don't think I'd put Drai under the category of leaving money on the table to market value but I still believe he had offer sheets for more money. He had his breakout season that year and was an absolute beast in the playoffs. He was an example of an obvious high tier 1C player, and a smart player to gamble cap space on. Imo Montreal in particular always loved Drai and had cleared cap space specifically to send an offer to Drai. And imo it started with a 9 but maybe a 10 even. This is all speculation of course but it was just extremely obvious that Drai was the best offer sheet target in years, and there are offer sheets we will never heat about.

At the time of him signing I figured out his comparable. It wasn't a high contract. His production and cap percentage was nearly identical to Kopitar's 2nd contract, and Drai gave us 8 years. Not an overpay at the time at all, except according to those who don't look at the nuances.

Edit: also when barkov signed that deal his biggest season was 16 goals and 36 points, and no playoff resume to bargain with. He was in the middle of a breakout season but there was timing favorable to the team. Drai got to the point where we weren't so lucky. Just off that playoff run. He was much closer to a sure thing elite player

When Drai signed that deal this place went nuts, negative nuts.

 

[CookiesAndMilk]

If you think Barrie chose to play here for 3.75 instead of 6 idk what to tell you.

Since you are not believing the real stuff I can assure you that I just had a nice conversation with Tyson and he confirmed the links. He indeed left money on the table to play with Connor.

He also told me that you should stop with the attitude.

 

[Mr Positive]

When Drai signed that deal this place went nuts, negative nuts.

Yes but most fans don't look at nuances of why players get what they do. Ie cap percentage, rfa vs ufa, rising salary over time, etc.

I also thought it was high at first glance. It's just one of those deals that you have too look more closely at. Ultimately it appears that Drai bet on himself a bit by not re signing a year before his deal expired, maybe to see what McDavid would do (which does make our upcoming contract issues intersting). Someone like Barkov cared more about security and signed before his value jumped higher. There was risk there that he would maybe not find much offense in his game. Drai had already broken out

And I know that it isn't proven but I bet one day it will come out that Drai had an offer sheet. It was probably something he could throw in Chiarelli's face, like 9.5 aav. So imo it was a fair contract by what's proven but if what I assume is true is true, he literally did leave money on the table compared to what he could have got elsewhere

 

[Anarchism]

Something will happen somewhere today.

 

[CupofOil]

At this point I don't know how you don't just point to the K'Andre Miller contract and tell Bouchard this is the contract. If he wants only 1 year than he gets significantly less than the ~$3.9M.

The Oilers can't afford to do 1 year and not be in even more cap hell next offseason with the Brown bonus overage clogging up the cap. This has to be a 2 year deal because he's going to put up big numbers this year so the projected 3.8-4m he'd be making in the 2nd year will pennies compared to what he'd be making on a new deal. This has to be a 2 year deal.

 

[Fourier]

When Drai signed that deal this place went nuts, negative nuts.

In part because this place tends to think that a young guy getting an 8 year deal should be paid exactly what he is worth at the time of the signing. Over the course of the years since the cap most long term deals around here have been panned. That said at the time of the signing it would have been easy to argue that he was within $1M of his actual value even at that time. The chances that that contract played out well for the team were always very good.

The Oilers can't afford to do 1 year and not be in even more cap hell next offseason with the Brown bonus overage clogging up the cap. This has to be a 2 year deal because he's going to put up big numbers this year so the projected 3.8-4m he'd be making in the 2nd year will pennies compared to what he'd be making on a new deal. This has to be a 2 year deal.

I fully agree. This deal needs to be 2-3 years.

 

[DrDrai]

This is the most boring offseason ever. Like around the league too, not just the Oilers.

This is what makes the NHL so boring. Very little turnover in the past 5 years. Sure you get some big names moving but not enough to keep a person interested during the offseason.

 

[Fourier]

This is what makes the NHL so boring. Very little turnover in the past 5 years. Sure you get some big names moving but not enough to keep a person interested during the offseason.

As someone who watched the best team in history systematically dismantled I am not so sure that boring is not a good thing.

 

[CupofOil]

You asked for proof… there it is.

You're talking about a poster that said "McLeod scored zero goals in the playoffs, which other 3rd line center does that" then I immediately countered with Pageau and he refused to accept that actual proof, actual fact, and moved the goal posts to something like "so, see what Islander fans think about him". Huh? He was also questioning how McLeod's line played at even strength, multiple posters posted stats that showed they carried the play well at even strength and kept goals against down then he added more goal posting moving mental gymnastics to illustrate that McLeod was useless in the playoffs.

In other words, it doesn't matter what proof you provide to that poster, he has his fantasy proof and that's that, sort of like "Taylor Hall is building a house in Edmonton, he will sign here" type of fantasy proof.

 

[Broberg Speed]

Yes but most fans don't look at nuances of why players get what they do. Ie cap percentage, rfa vs ufa, rising salary over time, etc.

I also thought it was high at first glance. It's just one of those deals that you have too look more closely at. Ultimately it appears that Drai bet on himself a bit by not re signing a year before his deal expired, maybe to see what McDavid would do (which does make our upcoming contract issues intersting). Someone like Barkov cared more about security and signed before his value jumped higher. There was risk there that he would maybe not find much offense in his game. Drai had already broken out

And I know that it isn't proven but I bet one day it will come out that Drai had an offer sheet. It was probably something he could throw in Chiarelli's face, like 9.5 aav. So imo it was a fair contract by what's proven but if what I assume is true is true, he literally did leave money on the table compared to what he could have got elsewhere

The Oilers bet on Draisaitl and they won. There would have been general consensus of his contract being a win much earlier if it were not for a high hit from Trouba very early on during the 2017-18 campaign that set his offensive production back.

Draisaitl surely could have passed the 80 point mark in year one of his contract if he played the full 82 games, at or close to 100% with a greater level of confidence and assuredness. Not out of the question that he could have come close to or even surpassed 90 points, knowing what we know now about the player.

Draisaitl proved all doubters wrong. Chiarelli negotiated a fantastic contract for the organization. That was a rare win for him. Signing two max term contracts for two superstars.

Nurse makes more than Draisaitl. That's a huge blunder in terms of cap structure by the current GM.

An offer sheet may have been presented to Draisaitl? I would have to see some proof to go there, about Draisaitl receiving an offer sheet. I don't believe that one.

Where did you stand in regards to the Draisaitl contract immediately after it was signed? Did you like it or did you loathe it, perhaps neutral?

In part because this place tends to think that a young guy getting an 8 year deal should be paid exactly what he is worth at the time of the signing. Over the course of the years since the cap most long term deals around here have been panned. That said at the time of the signing it would have been easy to argue that he was within $1M of his actual value even at that time. The chances that that contract played out well for the team were always very good.

If Nurse signed a more appropriate contract, making less than Draisaitl, he would still have his detractors but perhaps there wouldn't be the overwhelming consensus of an overpayment.

If Nurse signed for less than the AAV of Draisaitl, not only would this have kept the cap structure in line, but one might also defend the Nurse contract by stating what would be a fact, "Nurse makes less than Jones, Werenski, and Hamilton, and they all signed during the same period."

As far as appearances go, I believe the main boards or non-Oiler fans view the Nurse contract as one of the leagues heaviest boat anchors. That's the general perception, and it's also worked into the mythos of why the Edmonton Oilers are incapable of winning a Stanley Cup.

Having defenseman taking up large percentages of your cap while those defensemen are not particularly good in the defensive zone is a huge hindrance to the club and it also lends credence to this aforementioned belief, that the Oilers are not capable of winning a Stanley Cup as the team is currently assembled.

The Oilers can't afford to do 1 year and not be in even more cap hell next offseason with the Brown bonus overage clogging up the cap. This has to be a 2 year deal because he's going to put up big numbers this year so the projected 3.8-4m he'd be making in the 2nd year will pennies compared to what he'd be making on a new deal. This has to be a 2 year deal.

Can the Oilers plan to add another high price tag defenseman with defensive limitations to their long term budgetary assessment? Long-term as in a Nurse like scenario, taking two bridge deals then receiving what is generally ascertained as a substantial overpay?

We aren't going to move Nurse. Maybe it's time to move on from Bouchard.

I fully agree. This deal needs to be 2-3 years.

I have no problem with a 3 year contract for Bouchard as long as it comes in at a reasonable number. A reasonable number is 4.5M but I'm sure 3 years would come in around at a Holland rated 4.9M.

At that price point Bouchard makes fair market value, likely in year two of the contract. Year one is an overpay and year three is team friendly, this transpires while the club has a level of cap certainty for 3 years and can plan around that. Particularly when it come to the Draisaitl and McDavid extensions.

Bouchard can rack up power play points for 3 seasons and at the end of the deal the Oilers can retain or trade the player.

 

[OG Eberle]

If you think Barrie chose to play here for 3.75 instead of 6 idk what to tell you.

1. Claims onus is on other party to post evidence of claim

2. Other party posts clear evidence reported of claim

3. Now claims that people are idiots if they believe reputable evidence...

Maybe just paint us a road map how exactly to support a claim seeing as the normal stuff isn't good enough for you?

 

[Mr Positive]

The Oilers bet on Draisaitl and they won. There would have been general consensus of his contract being a win much earlier if it were not for a high hit from Trouba very early on during the 2017-18 campaign that set his offensive production back.

Draisaitl surely could have passed the 80 point mark in year one of his contract if he played the full 82 games, at or close to 100% with a greater level of confidence and assuredness. Not out of the question that he could have come close to or even surpassed 90 points, knowing what we know now about the player.

Draisaitl proved all doubters wrong. Chiarelli negotiated a fantastic contract for the organization. That was a rare win for him. Signing two max term contracts for two superstars.

Nurse makes more than Draisaitl. That's a huge blunder in terms of cap structure by the current GM.

An offer sheet may have been presented to Draisaitl? I would have to see some proof to go there, about Draisaitl receiving an offer sheet. I don't believe that one.

Where did you stand in regards to the Draisaitl contract immediately after it was signed? Did you like it or did you loathe it, perhaps neutral?

If Nurse signed a more appropriate contract, making less than Draisaitl, he would still have his detractors but perhaps there wouldn't be the overwhelming consensus of an overpayment.

If Nurse signed for less than the AAV of Draisaitl, not only would this have kept the cap structure in line, but one might also defend the Nurse contract by stating what would be a fact, "Nurse makes less than Jones, Werenski, and Hamilton, and they all signed during the same period."

As far as appearances go, I believe the main boards or non-Oiler fans view the Nurse contract as one of the leagues heaviest boat anchors. That's the general perception, and it's also worked into the mythos of why the Edmonton Oilers are incapable of winning a Stanley Cup.

Having defenseman taking up large percentages of your cap while those defensemen are not particularly good in the defensive zone is a huge hindrance to the club and it also lends credence to this aforementioned belief, that the Oilers are not capable of winning a Stanley Cup as the team is currently assembled.

Can the Oilers plan to add another high price tag defenseman with defensive limitations to their long term budgetary assessment? Long-term as in a Nurse like scenario, taking two bridge deals then receiving what is generally ascertained as a substantial overpay?

We aren't going to move Nurse. Maybe it's time to move on from Bouchard.

I have no problem with a 3 year contract for Bouchard as long as it comes in at a reasonable number. A reasonable number is 4.5M but I'm sure 3 years would come in around at a Holland rated 4.9M.

At that price point Bouchard makes fair market value, likely in year two of the contract. Year one is an overpay and year three is team friendly, this transpires while the club has a level of cap certainty for 3 years and can plan around that. Particularly when it come to the Draisaitl and McDavid extensions.

Bouchard can rack up power play points for 3 seasons and at the end of the deal the Oilers can retain or trade the player.

I have no proof of Drai getting an offer sheet but I believe that will be revealed some day. It's one of those things that seems obvious. We let Drai get to the point where he could be offer sheeted. We also know that offer sheets can be much more common. It's only rare that they are signed, and I bet that is largely because offer sheets are used as leverage by high profile RFAs and most of them want to stay with their teams anyway. Most key RFAs never get to that stage in the first place. How many key RFAs who got to offer sheet eligibility were better than Draisaitl? It's like the existence of extra terrestrials. We have no credible proof so we have to say they don't exist, but logically c'mon just look at the odds. Drai was an established 1c tier player. He got offer sheets in the 9s and even 10s. Look at all the great teams there were that were just missing that 1c with no hope of getting one. It's a position that's okay to overpay for if they are legit.

As for Nurse, that was not an overpay. The market was set by the Jones contract . Nurse had that incredible season. Imo what makes it seem bad is that he regressed a little when we were counting on him developing further. That could have happened with Drai too btw. All contracts are risks based on only 1 season of excellence.

I still have hope for Nurse. He's about 1 million overpaid so it's not that much of a leap forward for him to even exceed his contract. Imo priority one for the org (after Bouchard's deal) is to find a decent partner for Nurse to maybe unlock him

 

[Anarchism]

You're talking about a poster that said "McLeod scored zero goals in the playoffs, which other 3rd line center does that" then I immediately countered with Pageau and he refused to accept that actual proof, actual fact, and moved the goal posts to something like "so, see what Islander fans think about him". Huh? He was also questioning how McLeod's line played at even strength, multiple posters posted stats that showed they carried the play well at even strength and kept goals against down then he added more goal posting moving mental gymnastics to illustrate that McLeod was useless in the playoffs.

In other words, it doesn't matter what proof you provide to that poster, he has his fantasy proof and that's that, sort of like "Taylor Hall is building a house in Edmonton, he will sign here" type of fantasy proof.

Bjugstad played alot of 3C right and Mcleod played alot of his wing for quite a few games didnt he?
Or am i remembering wrong?

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I don't think I'd put Drai under the category of leaving money on the table to market value but I still believe he had offer sheets for more money. He had his breakout season that year and was an absolute beast in the playoffs. He was an example of an obvious high tier 1C player, and a smart player to gamble cap space on. Imo Montreal in particular always loved Drai and had cleared cap space specifically to send an offer to Drai. And imo it started with a 9 but maybe a 10 even. This is all speculation of course but it was just extremely obvious that Drai was the best offer sheet target in years, and there are offer sheets we will never heat about.

At the time of him signing I figured out his comparable. It wasn't a high contract. His production and cap percentage was nearly identical to Kopitar's 2nd contract, and Drai gave us 8 years. Not an overpay at the time at all, except according to those who don't look at the nuances.

Edit: also when barkov signed that deal his biggest season was 16 goals and 36 points, and no playoff resume to bargain with. He was in the middle of a breakout season but there was timing favorable to the team. Drai got to the point where we weren't so lucky. Just off that playoff run. He was much closer to a sure thing elite player

There's zero evidence that an offer sheet was made to Draisaitl. This tends to be a very public process which instills pressure on an organization to match or not. It's in a player's agent and player's best interests to incite public reaction, angst and emotion to the threat of losing (or gaining) a well regarded player. If an offer sheet was made for Draisaitl, his agent would have been all over it and would have been a public process.

MacKinnon and Barkov were reasonable comparisons for a young Draisaitl. Coming out of his entry level deal, the move to a stretch dollar AAV deal over maximum term delivered security at early fair market value while the organization bet Draisaitl would prove out to be a value deal over time. However Draisaitl continued pretty much hockey stick development immediately and quickly became a value deal. Of course adding a generational talent McDavid helped as well.

 

[Fourier]

The Oilers bet on Draisaitl and they won. There would have been general consensus of his contract being a win much earlier if it were not for a high hit from Trouba very early on during the 2017-18 campaign that set his offensive production back.

Draisaitl surely could have passed the 80 point mark in year one of his contract if he played the full 82 games, at or close to 100% with a greater level of confidence and assuredness. Not out of the question that he could have come close to or even surpassed 90 points, knowing what we know now about the player.

Draisaitl proved all doubters wrong. Chiarelli negotiated a fantastic contract for the organization. That was a rare win for him. Signing two max term contracts for two superstars.

Nurse makes more than Draisaitl. That's a huge blunder in terms of cap structure by the current GM.

An offer sheet may have been presented to Draisaitl? I would have to see some proof to go there, about Draisaitl receiving an offer sheet. I don't believe that one.

Where did you stand in regards to the Draisaitl contract immediately after it was signed? Did you like it or did you loathe it, perhaps neutral?

If Nurse signed a more appropriate contract, making less than Draisaitl, he would still have his detractors but perhaps there wouldn't be the overwhelming consensus of an overpayment.

If Nurse signed for less than the AAV of Draisaitl, not only would this have kept the cap structure in line, but one might also defend the Nurse contract by stating what would be a fact, "Nurse makes less than Jones, Werenski, and Hamilton, and they all signed during the same period."

As far as appearances go, I believe the main boards or non-Oiler fans view the Nurse contract as one of the leagues heaviest boat anchors. That's the general perception, and it's also worked into the mythos of why the Edmonton Oilers are incapable of winning a Stanley Cup.

Having defenseman taking up large percentages of your cap while those defensemen are not particularly good in the defensive zone is a huge hindrance to the club and it also lends credence to this aforementioned belief, that the Oilers are not capable of winning a Stanley Cup as the team is currently assembled.

Can the Oilers plan to add another high price tag defenseman with defensive limitations to their long term budgetary assessment? Long-term as in a Nurse like scenario, taking two bridge deals then receiving what is generally ascertained as a substantial overpay?

We aren't going to move Nurse. Maybe it's time to move on from Bouchard.

I have no problem with a 3 year contract for Bouchard as long as it comes in at a reasonable number. A reasonable number is 4.5M but I'm sure 3 years would come in around at a Holland rated 4.9M.

At that price point Bouchard makes fair market value, likely in year two of the contract. Year one is an overpay and year three is team friendly, this transpires while the club has a level of cap certainty for 3 years and can plan around that. Particularly when it come to the Draisaitl and McDavid extensions.

Bouchard can rack up power play points for 3 seasons and at the end of the deal the Oilers can retain or trade the player.

The degree to which Nurse is overpaid is greatly exaggerated. If he was at $8-8.5M he would be a solid value for what he brings to the table. He makes mistakes but the results when he is on the ice are overwhelmingly positive.

He is still top 30 in points for a defenseman, 7th for goals, 12th in ES points and 3rd in Es goals for defensemen over the last 3 years. He is also 8th in +/- so the idea that he bleeds goals against is way overstated especially given the tough minutes he plays. His contract right now is not the reason the Oilers are up against the cap. The only really bad deal the team has is Campbell at $5M for the way he played last year.

 

[94 Oil Drops]

This is the most boring offseason ever. Like around the league too, not just the Oilers.

Summer doesn't last in Canada. Go out and enjoy it. That's how I get by in the off season.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

The degree to which Nurse is overpaid is greatly exaggerated. If he was at $8-8.5M he would be a solid value for what he brings to the table. He makes mistakes but the results when he is on the ice are overwhelmingly positive.

He is still top 30 in points for a defenseman, 7th for goals, 12th in ES points and 3rd in Es goals for defensemen over the last 3 years. He is also 8th in +/- so the idea that he bleeds goals against is way overstated especially given the tough minutes he plays. His contract right now is not the reason the Oilers are up against the cap. The only really bad deal the team has is Campbell at $5M for the way he played last year.

This.

Furthermore, I would add that with the Oilers having a better defense where not having to play such a difficult workload will be to Nurse's benefit. I thought Nurse's best season was 2020-2021 because we had Adam Larsson here to spread out the difficult minutes. Now that we are starting a full season with Ekholm in our lineup I think Nurse can elevate his game back to that 2020-2021 level and maybe even surpass it.

 

[Mr Positive]

There's zero evidence that an offer sheet was made to Draisaitl. This tends to be a very public process which instills pressure on an organization to match or not. It's in a player's agent and player's best interests to incite public reaction, angst and emotion to the threat of losing (or gaining) a well regarded player. If an offer sheet was made for Draisaitl, his agent would have been all over it and would have been a public process.

MacKinnon and Barkov were reasonable comparisons for a young Draisaitl. Coming out of his entry level deal, the move to a stretch dollar AAV deal over maximum term delivered security at early fair market value while the organization bet Draisaitl would prove out to be a value deal over time. However Draisaitl continued pretty much hockey stick development immediately and quickly became a value deal. Of course adding a generational talent McDavid helped as well.

When have we ever heard of an offer sheet that wasn't signed? It seems like a very secretive process to me, not public at all. The scenario you describe is a signed one, which would obviously be very public.

Basically it is between an agent and player. Leaking that info would be a firable offense. I also don't see either GM leaking that info

 

[Fourier]

I have no proof of Drai getting an offer sheet but I believe that will be revealed some day. It's one of those things that seems obvious. We let Drai get to the point where he could be offer sheeted. We also know that offer sheets can be much more common. It's only rare that they are signed, and I bet that is largely because offer sheets are used as leverage by high profile RFAs and most of them want to stay with their teams anyway. Most key RFAs never get to that stage in the first place. How many key RFAs who got to offer sheet eligibility were better than Draisaitl? It's like the existence of extra terrestrials. We have no credible proof so we have to say they don't exist, but logically c'mon just look at the odds. Drai was an established 1c tier player. He got offer sheets in the 9s and even 10s. Look at all the great teams there were that were just missing that 1c with no hope of getting one. It's a position that's okay to overpay for if they are legit.

As for Nurse, that was not an overpay. The market was set by the Jones contract . Nurse had that incredible season. Imo what makes it seem bad is that he regressed a little when we were counting on him developing further. That could have happened with Drai too btw. All contracts are risks based on only 1 season of excellence.

I still have hope for Nurse. He's about 1 million overpaid so it's not that much of a leap forward for him to even exceed his contract. Imo priority one for the org (after Bouchard's deal) is to find a decent partner for Nurse to maybe unlock him

I would be very surprised if he got an offer sheet to be honest. There would have been little point in doing so since it is pretty obvious it would have been matched. if it was near his value. I also see no evidence that offer sheets are more common than we think.

At the time Leon signed the compensation for a $7.85-9.8M offer would have been 2 first a 2nd and a third. That salary and that compensation level for a player who had a career high of 29 goals and 77 points playing with Connor McDavid would have been a very big risk. At that time only Toews, Kane, Kopitar, Benn and Malkin had AAV's of $9M or more amongst forwards. Only those 5, Corey Perry and Sidney Crosby had AAV's over $8.5M. $10M is even much less likely. That would have been 4 1st's and made Draisaitl third highest paid forward in the league.

As a group NHL GM's are typically quite conservative. But even the aggressive ones don't see the OS route as being very attractive.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Three weeks til the Penticton tournament. We're getting there....slowly.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

When have we ever heard of an offer sheet that wasn't signed? It seems like a very secretive process to me. The scenario you describe is a signed one, which would obviously be very public.

Basically it is between an agent and player. Leaking that info would be a firable offense. I also don't see either GM leaking that info

It's to a player and agent's benefit to make the threat of prospective offer sheet public. Media and fans openly speculate about such scenarios. The stakes are raised and it becomes a game of chicken. Edmonton took a proactive approach with all its hard earned young players through the rebuild with early, big money term deals with Hall, Nugent Hopkins and Eberle. Draisaitl and then McDavid followed this pattern. Only as they topped out as a cap threshold team have they had to bridge players. It's been a critical strategy of an organization that had trouble attracting free agents. And overall a common strategy of organizations to bet on and secure their homegrown talent.

The offer sheet is a tool in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that's been more effective as a deterrent than actually ever utilized. We hear idle speculation all the time about prospective offer sheet targets which essentially never happen. Teams would have the common sense to know that Edmonton would match any offer to Draisaitl. However the fantasy aspect aside both parties came to an agreement that stretched money early for Draisaitl that quickly became a value contract.

 

[Mr Positive]

I would be very surprised if he got an offer sheet to be honest. There would have been little point in doing so since it is pretty obvious it would have been matched. if it was near his value. I also see no evidence that offer sheets are more common than we think.

At the time Leon signed the compensation for a $7.85-9.8M offer would have been 2 first a 2nd and a third. That salary and that compensation level for a player who had a career high of 29 goals and 77 points playing with Connor McDavid would have been a very big risk. At that time only Toews, Kane, Kopitar, Benn and Malkin had AAV's of $9M or more amongst forwards. Only those 5, Corey Perry and Sidney Crosby had AAV's over $8.5M. $10M is even much less likely. That would have been 4 1st's and made Draisaitl third highest paid forward in the league.

As a group NHL GM's are typically quite conservative. But even the aggressive ones don't see the OS route as being very attractive.

By definition they are more common that people think because we only hear about the ones that are signed. How much go unsigned? We can't really know but it has to exist even if we don't ever hear about them. I'd argue that Drai was a rare opportunity. Much worse players than him signed offer sheets. And yes, there were likely teams ready to overpay big time for him. The one reason to pause was that Chia made it clear that he'd match anything which was perfect posturing. Gms know it is posturing though. There must have been a limit since the team wanted to serve McDavid at all costs and needed cap dollars to do so

 

[GOilers88]

Can fans stop ripping Nurse? Go back and look at that market. Werenski, Jones all over 9 million. Nurse's agent used the market to sign the contract. That is a fact. Is this too hard for some fans to understand. If he hadn't signed, our top 4 would be

____ Bouchard
Ekholm Broberg


Do you feel like that's a Cup contending top 4?



How on earth is that boasting?

What kind of psychopath wants to help his parents retire, hey?