Since the Edmonton Oilers are now eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it is time to look forward to the offseason and the move they need to make. One job that needs to be done is re-signing RFA’s and UFA’s. I have already taken a look at Klim Kostin and Derek Ryan. In this article, I will examine the pros and cons of bringing back UFA Nick Bjugstad.
Nick Bjugstad was traded for at the trade deadline by the Edmonton Oilers. For the Edmonton Oilers this was a good depth addition. Bjudstad is the type of player that can move around the lineup. I think he played some minutes in the playoffs on all 4 lines.
Bjustad was the go-to faceoff guy on the right side as he was the only right-handed center. in the 12 playoff games, he had a faceoff percentage of 52.05%. This was the main reason he was brought in at the deadline I believe.
Another positive about Bjustad is he is an excellent penalty killer. In my opinion, if a team wants to have success the bottom 6 forwards need to be able to play on the penalty kill. It is nice that Draisaitl and McDavid can kill penalties, but I would rather have Bjustad blocking shot over those two.
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Will The Edmonton Oilers bring Nick Bjugstad Back?
I think the Edmonton Oilers would love to bring back Nick Bjustad. The problem is how much is he going to want to be paid. I think if he wants to make more money there will be a market that will pay him more than Edmonton will.
The problem with that type of market is they likely will not have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. With that in mind, I think Bjustad will have to have the choice to get paid on a non-cup contender or make less and have a chance to play on a top team.
This is how good teams win, they have players take a little less to have a chance to win. Hopefully, the Edmonton Oilers can use this as leverage, not only with Bjugstad but with all potential signings.