Former NHL defenseman claims Oilers should trade Evan Bouchard
Photo credit: https://i.markerzone.com/i/z.gif
In a recent episode of Empty Netters Podcast former NHL defenseman, James Wisniewski, made several comments about Evan Bouchard, saying that not only was the new contract he signed a bad one for the Oilers, but the young defenseman should have been traded away.
It's a peculiar thing to say about Bouchard, considering his ability to produce for his team, not only during the regular season, but during the playoffs, when games count most, and every point is difficult to come by. In fact, Evan Bouchard is 2nd all-time in playoff-points-per-game by an NHL defenseman.
And therein is the dilemma for James Wisniewski, who believes Evan Bouchard is a one-trick pony.
«If you want to f*cking win, that is not the guy you're gonna sign to go to the next level,» Wisniewski said. «You need a power-play dude, but he's not that good other than that. I'm not taking credit away from him by being like a really good offensive defenseman, but he's eating up $10.5 million of your salary.»
Except, Bouchard is more than just a powerplay specialist; he is quite effective playing at regular strength also. In last season's playoffs, among defenseman that played at least 200 minutes, Bouchard was 5th in expected-goals-for-% 5V5, and 4th in high-danger-chances-for 5V5.
Over his career, Bouchard is behind only Bobby Orr in playoff ppg by an NHL defender, and is 25th in scoring by a defenseman, this at the age of 25. His career is just beginning, really, and he is already considered a top-5 defenseman in the NHL, per reports.
In addition to Wisniewski's criticism, Empty Netters cohost suggested the Edmonton Oilers should have traded Bouchard for two defenseman at $5M AAV each, one a powerplay specialist, and the other a defensive specialist. This is a rather oversimplistic way of structuring a roster. By this reasoning, each player on a team would only have one skill, or role, that would not overlap when on the ice.
Imagine breaking down Connor McDavid's skills into categories, and deploying a separate player for each. It's a silly notion, really. Evan Bouchard, despite his occasional defensive breakdown, is a stud on the blueline, and performs in all areas of the ice.
With the culture of rising salaries, and an ever-increasing salary cap, paying $10.5M for a top-5 defenseman in the NHL is hardly a hindrance. Considering what Evan Bouchard does for the Oilers, and the important role he plays on the team, it may even be a steal.
TRENDING NOW
