Oilers Re-Sign Evan Bouchard to Four-Year Deal

Evan Bouchard will not be a potential offer sheet target ahead of tomorrow’s free agency window opening.

Bouchard and the Edmonton Oilers agreed to terms on a four-year contract, carrying an average annual value (AAV) of $10.5 million per season.

At the time of writing, it is not determined if Bouchard has any trade or movement clauses in his contract.

The 25-year-old Bouchard is one of the NHL’s elite offensive defensemen, and he’s been at the centre of a lot of ‘what if’ scenarios contract and trade-wise.

Bouchard, a 10th overall draft selection by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, didn’t explode onto the hockey scene right away. He made his NHL debut in 2018-19, playing seven games before returning to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

He spent the following season with the Oilers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, before finally getting his footing two years later, and Bouchard didn’t look back.

After consecutive 40-point seasons, Bouchard showed the Oilers a ton of promise and flourished in his continuously growing role. Bouchard then posted an 82-point (18G, 64A) season, followed by a 67-point (14G, 53A) season.

After back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers were positioned to have delayed negotiations as they looked to hoist Lord Stanley. When that didn’t happen, the Oilers and Bouchard rumours kicked into high gear.

While it isn’t an 11th-hour contract, it certainly feels that way. Bouchard’s 238 points (55G, 183A) in 347 career NHL games with 81 points (20G, 61A) in 75 career NHL playoff games made him due for a big raise.

That leads to Bouchard’s current four-year contract extension, which is set to expire at the end of the 2028-29 season. Bouchard will be an unrestricted free agent when this contract expires.

ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again Inside The Rink

Join Chris and Conrad as they break down the Florida Panthers winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, Trevor Zegras traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, the AHL Calder Cup winning Abbotsford Canucks, and the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft!
  1. ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again
  2. ITR 43: It's Winning Time
  3. ITR 42: Ripe For Repeat?
  4. ITR 41: Stanley Cup Final – The Rematch
  5. ITR 40: Headed For A Repeat?

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Conrad Jack

Conrad Jack is a Manitoba based sportswriter covering the Winnipeg Jets (NHL) and the Manitoba Moose (AHL). He also covers the NHL Draft and World Junior Championship for ITR. He writes the Bargain Bin blog which covers NHL News & Rumours.

Leave a Reply

Players Who Did Not Receive a Qualifying Offer

The deadline to issue a qualifying offer to pending restricted free agents passed at 4:00 pm CST yesterday. Any player who did not receive one is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday. The list below reflects the information that has been reported so far. Anaheim Ducks: Forwards Brett Leason, Josh Lopina and […]

Read More

Andrei Kuzmenko Signs One-Year Extension in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Kings have inked Andrei Kuzmenko to a one-year contract extension worth $4.3 million total. The 29-year-old forward split the 2024-25 season between the Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings. After exploding onto the scene in the 2022-23 season, posting 74 points (39G, 35A) in 81 games, Kuzmenko’s production seemed to […]

Read More

Steven Lorentz Re-Signs in Toronto

Steven Lorentz has re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lorentz and the Maple Leafs agreed to terms on a three-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.35 million per season. The 29-year-old forward posted 19 points (8G, 11A) in 80 games with Toronto in 2024-25. Lorentz was a seventh-round (186th overall) draft selection […]

Read More