An idea was brought up by Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff that the Edmonton Oilers may have to trade Evan Bouchard in the offseason. He notes that it isn’t likely or something they want to do, but something that definitely could happen. He says, “I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that we see Bouchard traded this summer.”
Looking at the cap situation in Edmonton for the next few seasons, a bridge deal would be the absolute best option for them, but if it comes to it and the young defenceman wants to cash in now and take a long-term deal, there’s also no way the Oilers aren’t going to make that happen. The Oilers took a chance in putting their trust in Bouchard by trading Tyson Barrie mid-season, and the power play has still done an amazing job. Bouchard has reached a new level with 18 points in 20 games since the Barrie trade and getting Mattias Ekholm as his partner. He is set to become a RFA at the end of the season.
Bridge vs Long-Term Deal
The Oilers bridged Darnell Nurse to a good contract and the timing lined up so that he became the Oilers’ number one defenceman by the time that deal was up. That was one of the big reasons why the Oilers hardly had a choice whether to give him over $9 million AAV on his current deal. That may happen with Bouchard as well, but the cost of losing him is greater than the potential salary he will get in 3-4 years time. The Oilers will be able to save $3+ million AAV for a couple of integral seasons where the team is Stanley Cup contenders and worry about Bouchard’s play and long-term deal at a later time.
Young defencemen this good don’t come along too often, and though it wouldn’t be a small return for the Oilers in exchange for Bouchard, he’s just 23 years old and has the incentive to get a couple of years alongside Ekholm and on the top power play to earn an even higher AAV on a long-term deal down the road.
What the Oilers May Have to Do
Bouchard can likely be bridged between $4-5 million for 2-4 years. But if he can’t, the Oilers have other options they will look at before considering moving the young defenceman. On defence, Brett Kulak and Cody Ceci make a few million each and are more expendable. Kulak is already a potential trade candidate because the Oilers want to get Philip Broberg more playing time next season in a full-time role and Nurse/Ekholm aren’t going anywhere.
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On forward, the Oilers don’t want to but would look to move Kailer Yamamoto or Warren Foegele before Bouchard, despite their recent strong play. They play less of a role behind the big five on forward and aren’t as productive offensively as even Bouchard. With Stuart Skinner locked up on a great bridge deal and Jack Campbell having the season he has, another option would be to move Campbell or buy him out to free up the necessary cap space. There are many options before Bouchard would have to go and who’s to say he’s not all-in with the Oilers and willing to help out a bit by taking a bridge deal. It would not only help the team, but potentially himself if he can take another step and get even better.
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