[Poll/Discussion] Do you buyout OEL?

[Odd.]

As it stands, an OEL buyout would be as follows:

 

2023-2024: $146,667

2024-2025: $2,346,667

2025-2026: $4,766,667

2026-2027: $4,766,667

2027-2028: $2,126,667

2028-2029: $2,126,667

2029-2030: $2,126,667

2030-2031: $2,126,667

 

With the cap projected to rise significantly as early as 2025, I think we could comfortably survive an OEL buyout without it affecting us too bad.

 

There’s always the trade route, but he has a 2 team list only and one of them is Boston. There’s a good chance he declines to waive his NMC, but if he’s told he’s going to be bought out anyway, maybe he’ll accept a trade. The thing is, we may not be able to get the best possible deal due to its limitations.

 

As well, teams will ask a premium for a cap dump like OEL’s, and many teams don’t want a 31 year old who’s on the decline taking up significant cap, as the salary cap isn’t expected to budge greatly for at least another 2 years.

 

So then there’s the final option: we ride out his contract for the remainder of it and somehow work around his $7.2M which I find it to be highly unlikely.

 

Curious to know your opinions. I am almost certain he is gone this summer. 

[Elias Pettersson]

JR won't be around another 8 years.  So IMO I think he will buy out OEL so he can take advantage of the huge cap savings over the next 2 years.  The cap will go up substantially in year 3 of the buyout and the cap should be around $92 million in years 3 and 4 when the biggest hits occur.  

 

If JR/PA are looking at trying to make the playoffs over the next two years, then the first two years cap savings will be huge and will allow us to get a true top 4 Dman on the left side to complement Hughes.  

 

It doesn't make alot of sense to buy out OEL after this year until the last year of his contract as that $7 million in savings only happens this summer, so if they are contemplating buying him out, it will only happen either this summer or in the last year of his deal...

[Xanlet]

Ah yes, let's keep mortgaging extra years of future cap space to try and be as good as possible right now.... even though it's a losing battle because we're constantly fighting against when we mortgaged the present in the past! Genius!

[Ghostsof1915]

Wouldn't retaining be a better long term solution that might even give a return of a 3rd round pick?

[Odd.]

1 minute ago, Elias Pettersson said:

JR won't be around another 8 years.  So IMO I think he will buy out OEL so he can take advantage of the huge cap savings over the next 2 years.  The cap will go up substantially in year 3 of the buyout and the cap should be around $92 million in years 3 and 4 when the biggest hits occur.  

 

If JR/PA are looking at trying to make the playoffs over the next two years, then the first two years cap savings will be huge and will allow us to get a true top 4 Dman on the left side to complement Hughes.  

 

It doesn't make alot of sense to buy out OEL after this year until the last year of his contract as that $7 million in savings only happens this summer, so if they are contemplating buying him out, it will only happen either this summer or in the last year of his deal...

Agreed, the cap space we’d have the next 2 years is huge with a combined cap of roughly $12M saved.

 

By the time $4.7M cap hit starts, Pearson, Myers, Boeser, Beauvillier, Lazar will all be off the books. We should expect to see significant cap space, even with a Petey max contract. Buying out OEL is definitely affordable.

[combover]

Ride it out. 
teams gonna suck for most of his time here anyway. Let him and the retirement contract crew enjoy 4-5 years of losing. 

Aging out and becoming  fringe nhlers without ever having a chance at winning anything.

 getting some long summers so he and others are  happy. 


 

Edited February 6, 2023 by combover

[Elias Pettersson]

16 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

Wouldn't retaining be a better long term solution that might even give a return of a 3rd round pick?

OEL has a NMC, so the chances he agrees to a trade are almost zero unless Boston wants him, which I highly doubt they do even at 50% retention...

Edited February 6, 2023 by Elias Pettersson

[Devron]

No man jeez. We ain’t competing for awhile. Why ruin the years we compete with Petey and Hughes are in their prime with dead cap

[lmm]

1 hour ago, Odd. said:

As it stands, an OEL buyout would be as follows:

 

2023-2024: $146,667

2024-2025: $2,346,667

2025-2026: $4,766,667

2026-2027: $4,766,667

2027-2028: $2,126,667

2028-2029: $2,126,667

2029-2030: $2,126,667

2030-2031: $2,126,667

 

With the cap projected to rise significantly as early as 2025, I think we could comfortably survive an OEL buyout without it affecting us too bad.

 

There’s always the trade route, but he has a 2 team list only and one of them is Boston. There’s a good chance he declines to waive his NMC, but if he’s told he’s going to be bought out anyway, maybe he’ll accept a trade. The thing is, we may not be able to get the best possible deal due to its limitations.

 

As well, teams will ask a premium for a cap dump like OEL’s, and many teams don’t want a 31 year old who’s on the decline taking up significant cap, as the salary cap isn’t expected to budge greatly for at least another 2 years.

 

So then there’s the final option: we ride out his contract for the remainder of it and somehow work around his $7.2M which I find it to be highly unlikely.

 

Curious to know your opinions. I am almost certain he is gone this summer. 

what does it look like if he is bought out in '24-'25 or '26?

[Nave]

I don't get the point of buying out OEL before we are playoff hopefuls.

[kanucks25]

I think it makes more sense to just eat it for two more seasons (after this one) because we probably aren't going to be contending during that time anyway and then trade him to a rebuilding team for the purposes of a buyout.

 

At that point it would probably cost us a 1st, 2nd and 3rd or something like that to dump him (thanks Benning).

 

But if you replace his salary with a good D-man in free agency that can take his spot, it could be a palatable tradeoff.

[CanuckFan1123]

I want to see what OEL does under Tocchet first and foremost. I think Tocchet has a shot of bringing back the best version of OEL, or close to it. If OEL continues to struggle I would rather try to move him with retention in the offseason if he’d waive. I hate buyouts. His buyout numbers aren’t horrendous but it’s not great either. Not worth it. If we don’t plan on competing next year, I’d even say ride him one more year. 

[JustABandwagoner]

34 minutes ago, kanucks25 said:

I think it makes more sense to just eat it for two more seasons (after this one) because we probably aren't going to be contending during that time anyway and then trade him to a rebuilding team for the purposes of a buyout.

 

At that point it would probably cost us a 1st, 2nd and 3rd or something like that to dump him (thanks Benning).

 

But if you replace his salary with a good D-man in free agency that can take his spot, it could be a palatable tradeoff.

And we gave a top 10 pick to take him :D 

[CanuckRookieFan]

Aqua isn't going to pay someone $3 mill a year LOL good luck with that. 3 mill is like 10% of the Canucks entire annual profit, you will never get an owner to throw away 10% margin on a buy out get real.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

55 minutes ago, CanuckFan1123 said:

I want to see what OEL does under Tocchet first and foremost. I think Tocchet has a shot of bringing back the best version of OEL, or close to it. If OEL continues to struggle I would rather try to move him with retention in the offseason if he’d waive. I hate buyouts. His buyout numbers aren’t horrendous but it’s not great either. Not worth it. If we don’t plan on competing next year, I’d even say ride him one more year. 

Yeah, we’ve just switched head coaches and hired two former NHL Dmen to the coaching staff. Let’s see what they can do. I’m certainly not expecting miracles, but I do think that OEL can play better than he has.

 

We’ve also just started making the “major surgery” roster moves and unravelling some of the cap mess. Maybe management brings in some new Dmen, either to partner OEL, or allow the team to adjust how they use him.

 

I’m not opposed to having the options on the table, as far as using a buyout or retaining salary, but I’d rather wait.

 

If OEL can improve, and maybe puts together a strong season, he’ll be much easier to trade (assuming he’d waive the NMC). Or we can just keep him, if he’s effective.

 

But if he’s awful, and just keeps getting worse, then eventually it will be time to bite the bullet, and just do whatever it takes to get him off the team. I just think it’s too soon right now (and that buyout chart looks disgusting).

[Phil_314]

Even if OEL isn't scoring much, he's shown that there's some smart defensive game in him, so once Myers' contract expires I hope management works to find his defensive partner, so at worst they can become a defensively-oriented partnership (at best, his partner enables him to take more offensive chances like how he did in Arizona).  If we can't trade him with retention then what I wrote about should be the next course of action, then I think buyouts should be the last resort.  

Edited February 6, 2023 by Phil_314

[FaninMex]

While a lot on here jump on him for being terrible and the Canucks having a terrible D etc... I remain confident that OEL has more to give. 

 

I think the situation is an indication of problems in the locker room but more importantly how the team has played and been coached. 

 

1. How many soft goals have been let in by both goalies.

2. How many times have the Canucks been trapped in their zone for minutes because the forwards aren't doing their jobs at the point or elsewhere.

3. How many times has Myers been chasing the puck all over and throwing OEL out of position. 

4. Who has heart on the Canucks besides Pettersson, Joshua, and Lockwood. Also, after a goalie lets in a goal how often do you see the Canucks collectively give up and die. Especially when they have a multi-goal lead. 

 

The list goes on... 

[IBatch]

Things could change - but as of right now absolutely not.    That's such a handcuff.     Let him play out next year too.   Call it a re-tool or a re-setting or finishing the rebuild, or whatever you want to call it, and that's not happening in one season.    Not likely anyways.   The only way i'd consider this would be if the league gives everyone a freebie.   That doesn't count against the cap - then absolutely do it.    

 

Also voted trade with retention but know that's a pipe dream.   OEL holds all the cards and doubt he says yes to this.    Although some smoke before regarding Tochett, so who knows maybe he will end up in his doghouse.    

 

We need six NHL d's, and OEL could play our third pairing until close to his last year worst and best case (best because that means we've found better top four guys).    

 

For OEL i'd take it one year at a time.   Let's see how he does with Tochett for at least the rest of this season and the following one first.    Who exactly is going to replace his minutes for one...until we have that sorted out might as well just accept he's our vet D anchor.   Nothing we haven't been used to the past decade plus. 

[Biff Tannen]

1 hour ago, CanuckRookieFan said:

Aqua isn't going to pay someone $3 mill a year LOL good luck with that. 3 mill is like 10% of the Canucks entire annual profit, you will never get an owner to throw away 10% margin on a buy out get real.

 

 

 

Where are you getting your profit figures from?

 

Using your logic no team would ever buy a player out. Since the buyout counts against the cap and the team has been consistently spending very close to it I can't see how it would affect the profits anyway. If a buyout makes a team better it makes sense from both a hockey and business sense to do. That said I hope they don't, OEL is overpaid but the dead cap from a buyout would be worse in the long run.

[IBatch]

4 hours ago, Odd. said:

Agreed, the cap space we’d have the next 2 years is huge with a combined cap of roughly $12M saved.

 

By the time $4.7M cap hit starts, Pearson, Myers, Boeser, Beauvillier, Lazar will all be off the books. We should expect to see significant cap space, even with a Petey max contract. Buying out OEL is definitely affordable.

All those guys (and OEL), will need replacements.   Lazar isn't at all a problem so not sure why you'd mention him, if he loses his spot to an AHLer or prospect it doesn't hurt our cap (250k).   Pearson likely is a wash (32 points is very decent for what he's getting paid ... but we do need that money for our D ... Myers and Brock yes for sure we can do better for that price.   Beauvillier is a wild card, new team, new coach, top six maybe he works out or maybe we can trade him.   We've been in the same boat forever.    Let's hope the guys that replace them do better.    OEL ... well sure if we find a guy for 3-4 that can do better then he does that's great.   Not that easy though.     

Edited February 6, 2023 by IBatch