Arizona Coyotes Move Forward Nick Bjugstad to Oilers

Nick Bjugstad has been traded to the Edmonton Oilers.

Bjugstad is a rugged, huge forward who stands 6-foot-6, 209 pounds. His physical play this season has been noticed by many NHL teams. He can also pitch in offensively as evidenced by his 13 goals and 10 assists in 57 games this season. Having a large frame has helped him rush the net, and screen the opposing goalies with regularity.

Nick Bjugstad Traded to Edmonton

One team that was rumored to be interested in Bjugstad was the Vegas Golden Knights. Another fit for him was the Toronto Maple Leafs. Instead, he went to the Edmonton Oilers. He does have a very reasonable $900,000 cap hit which made him a good trade prospect.

Bjugstad averaged almost 17 minutes of ice time and has a 12.1 percent shooting accuracy statistic. He also has shown his physicality with 118 hits in 57 games. Bjugstad has been excelling with a +/- rating of +6. He is also proficient in shootouts, scoring three out of six attempts.

Around Full Press Hockey

NHL: John Tortorella Was The Flyers’ First Choice For Coach: Chuck Fletcher

NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins

NHL:  Five Maple Leafs Youngsters Who Could See More NHL Time Next Year

NFL: Best Bets For 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year

MLB:  Is Steph Curry An All-Time Top 10 Player?

PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly: Ep 33: Stanley Cup Final Preview

Coyotes Cleaning House

The Arizona Coyotes brought in players like Bjugstad to give them some size to help smaller forwards not get pushed around. With the team in a full rebuild, it was expected some players on expiring contracts would be dealt away in favor of draft picks or prospects. He signed with the Desert Dogs in July of 2022 and has been a pleasant addition to the team.

The Terms of the Deal

🔁 TRADE 🔁

The #Oilers have acquired forward Nick Bjugstad & defenceman Cam Dineen from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for defenceman Michael Kesselring & a 2023 third-round pick. In addition, Arizona will retain 50% of Bjugstad's salary.#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/FM53fWlAUb

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 2, 2023

To make the deal work for the Oilers, who were down to their last dollar in cap space, the Coyotes retained half of his salary. This gives the Oilers that bottom-six forward they were seeking at a very low cost. Look for Bjugstad to excel with his new team.