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.