Andy Devlin, OEG Sports & Entertainment
Oakville's Evan Bouchard has finally reached an agreement with the Edmonton Oilers on a contract extension.
The defenceman and the Oilers agreed on a two-year contract at an average annual value of $3.9 million per season.
This is obviously a short-term deal for Bouchard and his representatives as he will remain a restricted free agent once this contract expires after the 2025 season.
Meaning that the Oilers will still retain his rights once the contract reaches its end.
Depending on Bouchard’s performance, the Oilers may look to sign him to a longer term once this contract ends, and with the term being longer, Evan’s salary will become substantially larger.
Bouchard has been a cornerstone of the Oilers core for the last two seasons.
He was selected by the Oilers in the first round in 2018 and became a full-time player in the 2021-22 season where he scored 43 points in 81 games and was a key piece of Edmonton’s playoff run to the Western Conference Finals where he scored nine points in 16 playoff games.
In this past season, Evan took on a bigger role on the Oilers where he became the teams power play quarterback and contributed much more offensively in the playoffs.
He had an eight point increase in the 2023 playoffs from nine points to 17 points and he accomplished this in only 12 games.
If Evan continues this impressive production, his next contract may look comparable to some of the top defenceman in the NHL.
As a young, up and coming player with a lot of talent, he may sign a contract similar to his teammate Darnell Nurse which was an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $9.25 million per season.
But as of right now, Bouchard has a brand new contract with the Oilers and will continue his quest in getting Connor McDavid and the City of Edmonton a Stanley Cup.
