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 49: For Real This Time – Inside The Rink
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