NHL Rumors: What Will Edmonton Oilers Pay Evan Bouchard on His Next Contract?

The Edmonton Oilers have recently signed Leon Draisatil to a new eight-year contract worth $112 million. With Draisaitl out of the way, the attention will turn to Connor McDavid. Barring some crazy events, McDavid is a lock to be an Oiler for Life. That means the actual next order of business is to get defenseman Evan Bouchard to a new contract.

Edmonton Oilers Had No Choice To Pay Leon Draisaitl To Keep Him

The question will be what will Evan Bouchard make on his next deal. He was fourth in defensemen scoring with 82 points (18 goals and 64 assists). In the playoffs 32 points (six goals and 26 assists). So does that mean he gets more than Darnell Nurse?

Frankie Corrado appeared on an edition of TSN That’s Hockey with Gino Reda. They discussed the Edmonton Oilers, and Reda asked Corrado about what Evan Bouchard could make on his next contract.

NHLRumors.com Transcriptions

NHL Rumors: Expect Evan Bouchard to Stay with the Edmonton Oilers

Gino Reda: “Evan Bouchard, he’s going to be looking at what $10 (million).”

Frankie Corrado: “Well, so now you’re going to have a compelling case.”

Reda: “Okay, so if he gets $10 (million), and you’ve already given away $30 (million), but the other two now you’re looking at half your cap on three guys.”

Corrado: “And don’t forget, makes $9.25 million, so you still have to remember that that’s money that’s already on your books.

Here’s the thing with Evan Bouchard: if he has a massive, massive year numbers-wise, which he very well could, he plays on that power play, and he’s not just a decoy, he’s a big part of that power play, and he puts up 90-95 points, if he’s, you know, crawling into that 100 point pace, which is crazy. It’s crazy to think about, but he’s that talented offensively. He can do it.

What Will Connor McDavid Make on His Next Contract?

Do you want to pay him $10 million? You still have to keep in mind that he has to ride shotgun with Mattias Ekholm like he’s not Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, or a one-man show. He’s great on the power play, but he still needs a little bit of a stabilizer.

So, it is $10 million for Evan Bouchard, although the numbers might be there, and it is a lot of money to pay a guy who still needs to ride shotgun with a very stable player.”