The Edmonton Oilers will have a lot on their plate this upcoming summer, but they should prioritize locking down defenceman Evan Bouchard to a long-term deal.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the 25-year-old offensive defenceman, and the fan base’s narrative seems to be split down the middle. While he has had his fair share of defensive struggles this season, there is no doubt that he remains the team’s most dangerous offensive defender and is undoubtedly their top right-handed guy.
Bouchard is coming off two straight playoff runs where he torched the competition, scoring a combined 49 points in 37 games, and just recently became the fifth-fastest active NHL defenceman to hit 200 career points.
The issue facing the Oilers is that he is set to become an RFA this summer and will require quite a pay raise from his current cap hit of $3.9 million.
#LetsGoOilers Evan Bouchard is the 5th-fastest active defenceman to 200 career points:
Cale Makar – 195 GP
Adam Fox – 241 GP
Quinn Hughes – 242 GP
Erik Karlsson – 272 GP
Evan Bouchard – 303 GP— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) January 4, 2025
Some of Bouchard’s detractors will point out that the Oakville, Ontario, native is not worthy of such a large extension. The argument will often point to the fact that Bouchard is prone to making that “big” mistake every so often whether that be a blatant turnover leading to a goal or losing a battle in the corner. That’s a valid criticism, but it misses the big picture of what Bouchard’s overall game provides to this Oilers team.
Not only does Bouchard lead all Oilers defencemen in goals and points this season, with seven and 30 respectively, but he also manages to be among the team leaders in a variety of other, more advanced, stats that signify that he is far from the unreliable defender that some paint him out to be.
He has the most five-on-five ice time of any Edmonton defenceman so far this season and, according to Natural Stat Trick, has put up sparkling defensive metrics during that time this season, including:
- 59.03 scoring chances-for percentage (SCF%)
- 58.36 high-danger chances-for percentage (HDCF%)
- 58.62 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%)
Bouchard is putting up those types of numbers despite his goaltenders giving him a mediocre .895 SV% while he is on the ice, which is rather impressive work. All of this points to the fact that Bouchard helps move the puck in the right direction when he is on the ice and helps generate much more offence FOR the Oilers than what he gives up on his end.
He is legitimately the most talented offensive blueliner to play for the Oilers since Paul Coffey and the fact that many fans would prefer to see him shipped out is astonishing. Bouchard provides the kind of puck-moving ability that Edmonton desperately needed throughout the decade of darkness and now that it’s finally here, many want it to go away.
The right side of Edmonton’s defensive group is not in great shape right now with Bouchard being the only bonafide NHLer. Ty Emberson has looked good early in his Oilers tenure and though Troy Stecher has been okay in a pinch, an upgrade will surely be coming before this year’s trade deadline.
One thing is for certain: they will not be able to easily replace a guy like Bouchard, even if they tried, and they will certainly want to avoid another offer-sheet debacle this summer.
The only way to ensure that the Oilers won’t be scrambling to find another elite offensive defenceman is to ink Bouchard to a long-term deal before anybody else has a chance of scooping him up.