Evan Bouchard is fine. That’s the news Oilers fans really wanted to hear from the IIHF World Championship.
Stan Bowman joined Oilers Now on Wednesday and said he has been talking directly with the All-Star defender after the rough hit from Ryan Lindgren earlier that day.
“Kyle Dubas was quick to act. As soon as the incident occurred, he texted me, and I’ve been messaging with Evan too,” Bowman mentioned.
This is the kind of teamwork you want to see when something like this happens. Two NHL general managers are taking care of things directly for their players who are representing their countries.
The IIHF World Championship is an off-season event where players can compete for their countries when they are not in the Stanley Cup playoffs. But there is a risk involved, like a bad hit, a wrong move, or an injury that could last a long time.
Bouchard is one of the key players for the Edmonton team. The 26-year-old had an impressive 95-point regular season as a defenseman, scoring 21 goals and making 74 assists, including 26 on power plays, all while costing the team $10.5 million against the salary cap.
The timing of this concern affects the Oilers more than usual. Edmonton can’t afford to lose its main right-handed defender when they are heading into a crucial off-season. The Oilers were eliminated quickly from the playoffs by Anaheim, where Tristan Jarry let in 23 goals in the 6-game series.
Bowman is currently in the process of reworking everything. Earlier this week, the front office was changed around, with Michael Parkatti promoted to Vice President of Analytics and Technology, and Kirt Hill coming on board as Assistant General Manager of Player Procurement.
The search for a new head coach is still going on. Craig Berube had a long interview over the weekend. Before that, Bruce Cassidy’s name was mentioned for the job, but Vegas General Manager Kelly McCrimmon denied the rumors.
If you add in an off-season injury to Bouchard, things can get really complicated quickly. The 26-year-old’s health is the key to everything else working out.
This is the part of international games that makes team managers in the NHL worried. The players really care about the tournament. The regular games don’t stop because of it. A mistake in May could ruin all the plans made over the summer.
Now, about the hit, we need to talk about that as well. The committees that look at discipline for the IIHF handle things differently than the NHL. Any decisions made won’t affect the regular season.
Lindgren’s future in the NHL is a topic for another time. Bowman didn’t focus on the player who made the hit; he concentrated on his own player.
Connor McDavid cannot afford any kind of setback this summer. The only thing that truly matters tonight is that Bouchard is okay.
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