Former D-Man Has Controversial Take on Two of the NHL’s Best D-Men

Former NHL defenseman James Wisniewski took a controversial and bold stance during a recent podcast interview, ripping two of the NHL’s most elite defensemen. Saying “you can’t win” with Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, Wisniewski was extremely critical of Bouchard, suggesting nearly anyone could do what he does.

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Appearing on the Empty Netters podcast, Wisniewski suggested the Oilers won’t win with Bouchard and was a bit less critical of Hughes, merely saying no team wins the Stanley Cup because of him. The opinions aren’t shared by most of the teams in the NHL, many of whom would love to have either player, and in a recent article for The Athletic, where both Bouchard and Hughes got A- or better grades on a contract efficiency ranking.

Wisniewski blasted the Oilers’ decision to sign Bouchard to a four-year, $10.5 million per year deal, suggesting it was a vast overpayment. “If you want to f*cking win, that is not the guy that you’re going to sign to go to the next level,” said Wisniewski, who played 552 NHL games between 2005 and 2016. While he praised Bouchard’s offensive skill, especially on the power play, he argued the money would have been better spent on a cheaper power-play specialist and a shutdown defenseman. He argued the Oilers should have signed a $5 million power-play guy, then added a $5.5 million shutdown defenseman, getting two for the price of one.

“I guarantee you, if you gave me two months to get my fat ass in shape, I could run the f*cking power play,” Wisniewski added, suggesting that feeding Connor McDavid and firing one-timers doesn’t justify Bouchard’s price tag.

Wisniewski also took aim at Quinn Hughes, claiming the Canucks captain isn’t the type of defenseman who can lead a team to a championship. “You don’t win a Cup with that man,” he said, citing Hughes’ smaller frame and lack of physicality as playoff liabilities. He then said that someone like Zach Werenski is the kind of player who brings you a championship.

Despite conceding that both players are far more talented than he ever was, Wisniewski argued that their styles don’t fit what teams need to win when it matters most.

What do you think? Is Wisniewski right? Bouchard has been the to Stanley Cup final twice. Clearly, the Oilers win a lot with him in a significant role. The Canucks have yet to make a deep playoff run with Hughes, but there’s not a GM in the league who wouldn’t love to have him.

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