THREE TEAMS THAT SHOULD SIGN EVAN BOUCHARD TO AN OFFER SHEET.
THE SCORE: Josh Wegman considers Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard a prime target for an offer sheet. He’s due for a raise coming out of his entry-level contract but the Oilers have just $5.62 million in cap space for 2023-24 and center Ryan McLeod still to be re-signed.
Wegman believes the Oilers would be in a bind if a rival club offered Bouchard a five-year contract with an annual cap hit of $8.58 million. He suggested the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken make the attempt.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t see the Sabres, Hurricanes and Kraken going this route. Wegman acknowledged that this tactic is rarely used. He pointed out that general managers could be reluctant to part with the compensatory draft picks or overpaying on a short-term contract or wishing to avoid a retaliatory offer from another club down the road.
For an offer sheet to happen, the player must be open to signing with another club. There’s no indication that Bouchard is willing to consider that option. If he is, no one seems to be knocking down his door to do so. One has to think it would’ve happened by now.
The Sabres now have nine defensemen under NHL contract with their recent additions of Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton. They’re also negotiating lucrative long-term extensions for Rasmus Sandin and Owen Power. I doubt they’re interested in adding another blueliner, especially one on an expensive deal via an offer sheet that could complicate efforts to re-sign Sandin and Power.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are reportedly quite interested in acquiring Erik Karlsson from San Jose. Should that fall through, they could go the offer-sheet route with Bouchard. However, I don’t think that’s something they want to entertain, especially after their tit-for-tat offer-sheet signing of Jesperi Kotkaniemi two years ago.
Kraken general manager Ron Francis has the cap space to make it happen but, as Wegman points out, a big chunk of it will be taken up re-sign blueliner Vince Dunn. Yes, they could free up room to pursue Bouchard if they wanted to, but why bother with that headache when less troublesome options could appear at some point?
THREE TEAMS THAT SHOULD SIGN EVAN BOUCHARD TO AN OFFER SHEET.
THE SCORE: Josh Wegman considers Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard a prime target for an offer sheet. He’s due for a raise coming out of his entry-level contract but the Oilers have just $5.62 million in cap space for 2023-24 and center Ryan McLeod still to be re-signed.
Wegman believes the Oilers would be in a bind if a rival club offered Bouchard a five-year contract with an annual cap hit of $8.58 million. He suggested the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken make the attempt.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t see the Sabres, Hurricanes and Kraken going this route. Wegman acknowledged that this tactic is rarely used. He pointed out that general managers could be reluctant to part with the compensatory draft picks or overpaying on a short-term contract or wishing to avoid a retaliatory offer from another club down the road.
For an offer sheet to happen, the player must be open to signing with another club. There’s no indication that Bouchard is willing to consider that option. If he is, no one seems to be knocking down his door to do so. One has to think it would’ve happened by now.
The Sabres now have nine defensemen under NHL contract with their recent additions of Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton. They’re also negotiating lucrative long-term extensions for Rasmus Sandin and Owen Power. I doubt they’re interested in adding another blueliner, especially one on an expensive deal via an offer sheet that could complicate efforts to re-sign Sandin and Power.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are reportedly quite interested in acquiring Erik Karlsson from San Jose. Should that fall through, they could go the offer-sheet route with Bouchard. However, I don’t think that’s something they want to entertain, especially after their tit-for-tat offer-sheet signing of Jesperi Kotkaniemi two years ago.
Kraken general manager Ron Francis has the cap space to make it happen but, as Wegman points out, a big chunk of it will be taken up re-sign blueliner Vince Dunn. Yes, they could free up room to pursue Bouchard if they wanted to, but why bother with that headache when less troublesome options could appear at some point? - homiedclown
Damn I missed a pretty big trade. What did the Sabres give up to get Sandin?
THREE TEAMS THAT SHOULD SIGN EVAN BOUCHARD TO AN OFFER SHEET.
THE SCORE: Josh Wegman considers Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard a prime target for an offer sheet. He’s due for a raise coming out of his entry-level contract but the Oilers have just $5.62 million in cap space for 2023-24 and center Ryan McLeod still to be re-signed.
Wegman believes the Oilers would be in a bind if a rival club offered Bouchard a five-year contract with an annual cap hit of $8.58 million. He suggested the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken make the attempt.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t see the Sabres, Hurricanes and Kraken going this route. Wegman acknowledged that this tactic is rarely used. He pointed out that general managers could be reluctant to part with the compensatory draft picks or overpaying on a short-term contract or wishing to avoid a retaliatory offer from another club down the road.
For an offer sheet to happen, the player must be open to signing with another club. There’s no indication that Bouchard is willing to consider that option. If he is, no one seems to be knocking down his door to do so. One has to think it would’ve happened by now.
The Sabres now have nine defensemen under NHL contract with their recent additions of Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton. They’re also negotiating lucrative long-term extensions for Rasmus Sandin and Owen Power. I doubt they’re interested in adding another blueliner, especially one on an expensive deal via an offer sheet that could complicate efforts to re-sign Sandin and Power.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are reportedly quite interested in acquiring Erik Karlsson from San Jose. Should that fall through, they could go the offer-sheet route with Bouchard. However, I don’t think that’s something they want to entertain, especially after their tit-for-tat offer-sheet signing of Jesperi Kotkaniemi two years ago.
Kraken general manager Ron Francis has the cap space to make it happen but, as Wegman points out, a big chunk of it will be taken up re-sign blueliner Vince Dunn. Yes, they could free up room to pursue Bouchard if they wanted to, but why bother with that headache when less troublesome options could appear at some point? - homiedclown
Extending Rasmus Sandin, I wonder what those terms look like.
I also thought they had the 8x$80mm for Dahlin, how many Dmen is Adams going to sign?
Location: Ice girls, please, NY Joined: 07.16.2011
Jul 17 @ 10:42 AM ET
took one for the team last night, wife is a big 80's music fan
saw howard jones, berlin, culture club
- homiedclown
My band, Boomerang! plays mostly 80s new wave/MTV-era stuff. No More Words by Berlin, Take on Me, Stray Cat Strut, I Ran, etc...we do Turning Japanese and kickass version of Werewolves of London but that's about as "classic rock" as we get. One prerequisite Tragically Hip song for the locals (Blow at High Dough)
This Saturday night at 12 Gates Brewery.
Playing Chicken Wing Fest too.
" Four Score And A Decade And a Half Later"
We have Vibes and Hope for a New Buffalo Sabres Nation. One that Shall lead us to the pinnacle of Hockey Heaven!!😊😊
Location: Formerly Visionville, Now Purgatory Joined: 07.29.2021
Jul 17 @ 11:29 AM ET
" Four Score And A Decade And a Half Later"
We have Vibes and Hope for a New Buffalo Sabres Nation. One that Shall lead us to the pinnacle of Hockey Heaven!!😊😊 - Buff36
Friend of mine in WPG also mentioned something similar in their season ticket holder meetings.
The city can't really afford a franchise so the only way it survives is if it is consistently selling out and thats never gunna happen in rebuild. I mean the attendance numbers were kinda weak last year and they were between okay and good.
