The Edmonton Oilers have been thrust towards a stressful off-season after their Game 6 defeat. They face multiple contract situations in need of sorting-out with just under $12MM in projected cap space. Top of list will be re-signing star defender Evan Bouchard before he becomes a restricted free agent. Edmonton will turn their attention towards negotiations on what is expected to be an eight-figure deal later this week, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta adds that next on the list will be signing captain Connor McDavid to an extension when he becomes eligible on July 1st.
Both contracts will break ground when they’re signed. Bouchard has hit impressive heights for only being 25 years old. His 238 points in 347 career games ranks sixth in the league among defenders his age or under. Rasmus Dahlin, who ranks second with 360 points, is the only player above Bouchard to have signed recently. He inked an eight-year, $88MM deal with the Buffalo Sabres last summer. Bouchard’s cap hit would likely land under Dahlin’s $11MM, though the cap’s projected growth could keep the two close.
That will make projecting a new price for superstar McDavid all the tougher. He already carries the fourth-highest cap hit in the league – $12.5MM on a deal signed in 2017. No one else came close to making as much until Nathan MacKinnon signed for $12.6MM in 2023, Auston Matthews’ signed for $13.25MM last summer, and Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl signed for $14MM shortly after.
McDavid’s prowess is hard to deny. He’s reached legendary scoring heights in both the regular season and playoffs. There seems to be no one number that’d sound right to award the 826 points he’s (so far) scored in 503 games of his current contract. Draisaitl’s record-holding cap-hit will be Edmonton’s only guide. He did top McDavid in scoring by six points this season but even then – the younger McDavid is likely to warrant a slight pay boost. His new deal could land in the realm of $14.5MM or even $15MM.
The importance of getting both deals done can’t go understated. McDavid and Bouchard were Edmonton’s most-used forward and defender respectively, and have ranked in the top-three of team scoring in each of the last two seasons. Edmonton will be locking up their top defenseman ahead of his prime, and the core of their franchise through his golden years, with these deals. They’ll also be defining their future budget – namely what they’ll be willing to spend on their 13 pending free agents in 2026, including goaltender Stuart Skinner.
McDavid and Bouchard will land as the league’s most expensive top-forward, top-defender tandem in the NHL before July 1st with this news. The two – and their phenomenal supporting cast – have already pushed Edmonton to back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals. With long-term deals, the Oilers could be guaranteeing the structure needed to make at least a few more runs for the title, especially as they find value deals for goaltending or depth improvements.
One has to wonder if Connor McDavid may hold off signing a long-term extension until next summer to see how this upcoming season goes with Edmonton before possibly committing to them long-term.
I’m sure the likelihood is he’s staying in Edmonton but the thought of him considering his options outside of Edmonton, I don’t think can go completely unwarranted for consideration in the matter.
I am wondering at management’s inability to land a true starter and surround him with better talent may cause him to think of leaving after two cup final losses. I hope he stays here but I do question if he will.
Do you mean a goaltender when you say true starter? It can’t be easy to keep or sign established talent when you have two of the top five forwards in the league. McDavid deserves to be the top paid player in the league, which doesn’t help their cap situation.
These are obviously both deals that they have to get done. But I do wonder how great this team will be going forward. They’re not the Caps or Pens from a couple years ago but it is an aging team. And depending on where they sign these two (and Frederic apparently…) I do think there’s a risk they’re a top heavy team without enough depth for good playoff pushes.
So of the $12 million in cap space, something like half of that will be going to a raise for Bouchard, right? And starting the next year (when the cap will rise again, of course), another $2.5m is going to McDavid.
Half ? That will be almost all .
He’s already making like $3.9 I think so if he got bumped up to $10 that would be an additional $6m. Unless the $12m in cap room assumes nothing allocated to Bouchard?
Your last sentence is exactly what it means. Bouchard will chew up almost all of that 12 million
Well, they’re screwed.
Bouchard was brutal in the finals, But that probably won’t deter the clueless Stan Bowman from throwing money and term at him. As for McDavid, Could he become a Los Angeles King this summer?
McDavid isn’t a free agent this summer. He’s a free agent next summer.
@Feel unless Sparky means the Oilers will pull a Pocklington and trade him to LA? That would be objectively hilarious but likely has a 0% chance of happening.
It’s just a story that is out there. There is such a thing as trades, This would be a true blockbuster.
It won’t happen. He will resign this summer with Edmonton
To think the Rangers drafted Vitali Kravtsov one pick before Bouchard. Rangers never seem to draft well.
Can’t give bouch 10 mil and mcdavid needs to take a pay cut for oilers to get players to come in
All people talk about Bouchard is his offense , Checkout the highlights through playoffs Bouchard on ice for goal after goal
Honestly trade Bouchard. Yeah he puts up a ton of points but he’s utterly useless defensively, and now he just wrist shots the puck Into shin pads or misses the net. He makes terrible passes and doesn’t battle. In a fwd those are traits you can in some ways overlook at least on a winger but in a defenceman it’s unacceptable. I’d rather have 6 elkholms on the back end than any amount of Bouchard’s. if they keep him his minutes need to be limited and sheltered he’s a complete liability outside of the power play.
He was EDM’s worst player, by far. Not a guy you can win with (unless he evolves a lot and quickly, unlikely).
Turnovers, lazy to get back, limp stick, soft in front of the net, etc.
Trade him and use the money and assets to find a sturdier D man (Ekblad, in a perfect world for them) and towards your G upgrade.
IF the Oilers could shed Nurse and his contract than Bouchard could be acceptable. A true PP1 and a dman with a lot of deficiencies in his own end. But having Nurse and Bouchard is a major problem. Nurse should be making no more than 6M per to be a strong #3. But at 9+ to be a 4(?) is severely limiting them from getting better. As long as Nurse or Bouch is considered their #1 at 5o5 they’re extremely limited.
The Bouchard haters are funny, I recently read this article by NHL_Sid, you should also.
By NHL_Sid
May 25, 2025, 11:00 ADT
34 Comments
As the stakes get higher and as the competition reaches new heights, the NHL playoffs are not for everyone. Even elite superstars can find themselves struggling to rise to the occasion under the bright lights. But, that’s certainly not the case with Evan Bouchard.
On Friday night, the Edmonton Oilers won 3-0 against the Dallas Stars in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final, tying the series 1-1. Bouchard led the way with 23:33 TOI, posting a fantastic 67 percent expected goal differential at 5-on-5 and racking up two assists, one of which was a superb DZ stretch pass leading to a goal by Brett Kulak, and the other being the primary assist on the eventual game-winning goal.
In other words, it was simply business as usual for Bouchard.
The 25-year-old defenceman is enjoying a very strong postseason performance overall, currently leading all NHL defencemen with 15 points in 13 games. In addition, his underlying numbers too have been fantastic, as he currently possesses a superb 60 xG% at 5-on-5 in total.
Now, Bouchard can often be a polarizing player on the Oilers amongst both fans and media alike. His occasional tendency to make glaring errors leading to goals or chances against can often spark significant debate regarding his defensive play, as many tend to critique him as “lazy” or “lackadaisical.”
But though there’s no denying that his in-zone play has room for improvement, I’ve always been of the opinion that Bouchard has a very unique calmness in his game, something that is mistaken for “laziness.” Bouchard maintains a consistent level of composure even under pressure, a trait that some may perceive as a lack of intensity, but I believe allows him to truly thrive in high-leverage situations.
“He’s just good, he’s so calm,” said Leon Draisaitl last year on Bouchard. “He makes the right play seemingly every time with the puck on his stick.”
“There’s just no stress in his game.”
This is an opinion that is backed up by the data. In total, Bouchard is now averaging 1.11 points per game in his postseason career, an increase of 0.42 PPG compared to his regular-season rate of 0.69. Per Sportsnet Stats, that is the largest increase in PPG from the regular-season to the postseason by any player in NHL history. Overall, amongst all defenceman who have played a minimum of 50 playoff games in NHL history, Bouchard’s playoff PPG ranks second all-time, only behind one defender – Bobby Orr.
Not bad.
And, it’s not just the individual point production that’s impressive. In the past two playoffs at 5-on-5, Bouchard’s on-ice goal differential per 60 ranks 6th among all defencemen with a minimum of 200 minutes played, while his expected goal differential per 60 ranks first. High-danger chances are 164 to 95 in favour of Edmonton with Bouchard on-ice, equating to an outstanding 63 percent high-danger chance share. And note that these are just the 5-on-5 numbers; it doesn’t even include Bouchard’s fantastic production on the power-play.
Some have claimed that these numbers are simply the result of Bouchard playing consistently next to Edmonton’s offensive superstars in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. In the past, many have also claimed that Bouchard is simply a beneficiary of Mattias Ekholm, his most common defensive partner over the most recent seasons. But although he undoubtedly benefits from playing next to each of those players, Bouchard’s results away from them remain just as strong.
With McDavid on-ice, Bouchard holds an impressive 61 xG%, but even without both McDavid and Draisaitl, it remains at an excellent 60 percent. For reference, McDavid drops to 54 percent without Bouchard.
Furthermore, with Ekholm having missed the entirety of the 2025 postseason thus far to injury, Bouchard has undeniably stepped up, possessing a 64 percent expected goal share without Ekholm in total at 5-on-5. In terms of goals, the Oilers are out-scoring opponents at a fantastic rate of 26 to 17 with Bouchard on-ice without Ekholm in the past two playoffs.
Bouchard has even become a staple on Edmonton’s penalty-kill this postseason in Ekholm’s absence, ranking fourth among Edmonton’s defencemen in PK TOI per game, and second in (fewest) on-ice PK shots against per 60.
Simply put, no matter what way you look at it, Evan Bouchard’s playoff results have been extraordinary. As his team looks to make the Stanley Cup Finals for the second straight season, Bouchard’s ability to consistently elevate his performance come playoff time has truly solidified him as one of the league’s best defencemen.