Edmonton Oilers Talk: “The Oilers want Bouchard to force them to play him more…”

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Sports Illustrated (Tychkowski)

Evan Bouchard: The Slow-Cook Method

The Oilers want Bouchard to force them to play him more rather than simply gifting him a top-four job on the blueline.
In terms of offense, Bouchard is more than NHL-ready. He sees the ice like an seasoned pro, he skates well, has an excellent passing game and a unique knack for getting his point shot through to the net…Throw in a poise and maturity, on the ice and off, that belies his age and it’s easy to see why the Oilers have such high hopes for him.
Where he needs to improve is on the defensive side. He has enough offensive skill that some defensive shortcomings can be overlooked, but being a top-four D-man also means being able to shut down top-six forwards on the other team.
…ideally, Edmonton wants to keep him on the third pairing, cherry-pick his spots, get him some power-play time, and let him deserve more than he’s getting rather than giving him more than he can handle and then being frustrated by costly mistakes.

BLH’s Thoughts: Imagine having Alex Pietrangelo and Al MacInnis on your blueline for the next 10 years or so, would you do whatever it took to make sure you didn’t f*ck that up?

Well, that’s what the Edmonton Oilers are looking at with Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard, in my opinion.

It’s such a change from the previous regimes that threw Edmonton’s young dmen into the chummed up shark infested waters and said, “Good Luck! If you survive this, you’re going to be a hall-of-famer.”

I think a lot of journalists and radio men who cover the Oilers are thinking that Bouchard will be in the top-four in the new year, but I think he’ll be up there a lot faster than that. I predict before Christmas he’ll be getting time with both Duncan Keith and Darnell Nurse.

Oilersnation (baggedmilk)

Random Thoughts: Around the NHL Edition

Every year there seems to be at least one Oiler that we’re waiting on for a new contract, and here in 2021, it’s Kailer Yamamoto that’s taking a little bit longer than we maybe expected.
- A couple of weeks back on Oilersnation Radio, I took a guess at $1.85 million/year for two years, thinking that maybe a two-year bridge deal would give us Yamo enough time and motivation to prove he’s worth a long-term contract while also affording the organization two more seasons to figure out what we have here.
I can’t believe we’re still talking about Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres.
- …my favourite potential option for Eichel would be to see him go back to Buffalo…
- The shenanigans that followed a scenario like that would be hilarious and the ‘Team Chaos’ that lives inside of me would love to watch the awkwardness play out as everyone tried to be professional.
…the City of Glendale announced this past week that the 2021-22 NHL season would be the Coyotes’ last at Gila River Arena…
- I’m actually feeling really bummed out for fans of the team that are watching this same movie again for the 1000th time.
On Friday, Henrik Lundqvist announced his retirement from hockey after 15 NHL seasons and 887 games played, capping off what was undoubtedly a career that will be remembered by many for years to come.
- Either way, seeing another guy retire that I spent the bulk of my life watching is yet another chapter in the “holy hell how did I get this old” saga.

BLH’s Thoughts: Can we just move on from Arizona? Get that team out of there and on to a market who can support the team, PLEASE!

Jack Eichel staying in Buffalo WOULD be funny but I don’t wish ill will on the guy or those in the Sabres organization. There’s nothing great about going to a job where you’re not wanted or having someone work for you that you don’t want there.

I really love the idea of Eichel going to the Rangers or the Bruins, but I’m a bit of a sucker for stories like that. Just keep him out of the Pacific Division… That guy is scary good.

Back in the late 90s/early 2000s (I can’t remember the exact year), Henrik Lundqvist came to my hometown in Camrose, AB to play for Team Sweden and the now defunct Viking Cup.

It’s funny, these players that you see year in and year out but you never really pay that much attention to even though they’re elite hockey players. For me, Lundqvist is one of those and I’m not sure if it was because he played in New York as the reason I didn’t watch him closer or if it was because he was a bit of a quiet superstar. Either way, he’s had one helluva career and I’m saddened by the reason he’s had to call it a day, but I hope he finds a way to stay in the sport.

Spector’s Hockey

NBC SPORTS: James O’Brien recently looked at how some of the most prominent restricted free agent situations could play out.

Regarding Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson and defenseman Quinn Hughes, O’Brien noted the club’s salary-cap crunch could result in bridge contracts for those two.
O’Brien doesn’t see a team attempting to sign Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov to an offer sheet. However, he wonders if the one signed by teammate Sebastian Aho two years ago (five years, $8.45 million annually) could be a barometer for what Svechnikov gets.
Observing Kirill Kaprizov’s contract standoff with the Minnesota Wild, O’Brien wonders if some of the other notable RFAs might wait and see what he eventually signs for.
O’Brien noted there was plenty of speculation over how much Brady Tkachuk might get on his next contract with the Ottawa Senators. Mikko Rantanen’s six-year, $9.25 million AAV with the Colorado Avalanche was one suggested comparable.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin’s up-and-down performance and the mess that is the Sabres franchise could affect what his next deal looks like. Projections suggest a three-year, $6.5 million AAV deal, six years at $6 million per or eight years at between $8 million and $8.25 million annually.