Edmonton Oilers sign Evan Bouchard to massive contract that'll pay him over $10 million a year
Evan Bouchard has gotten his payday with the Edmonton Oilers.
With free agency looming, the Oilers GM Stan Bowman decided to get his biggest piece of business done before the market opens on Tuesday morning. Edmonton’s top defenceman will be sticking around the Alberta capital for four more years on a massive contract that carries a cap hit of $10.5 million per year.
That makes him the highest-paid defenceman on the team, surpassing Darnell Nurse’s AAV of $9.25 million.
Evan Bouchard is signing a four-year extension with Edmonton carrying a $10.5M AAV.
First to report: @Hockey_Robinson
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 30, 2025
It’s hard to say that the 25-year-old hasn’t earned this massive ticket. He has been one of the NHL’s deadliest offensive defencemen over the last three seasons and has put up generational numbers in the postseason.
Throughout his last 59 playoff games, Bouchard has recorded an eye-popping 72 points from the Oilers’ blueline. As it stands, he ranks second all-time in playoff point-per-game for an NHL defenceman (1.08) behind only Bobby Orr (1.24).
His defensive play has earned him plenty of critics, but his ability to move the puck up the ice and create offensive looks far outweighs any of his in-zone deficiencies. There is some concern about not signing Bouchard to a long-term deal, but the Oilers will be happy to have him for what they hope is four more runs at the Stanley Cup.
This massive contract will now put the Oilers’ cap space situation at under $1 million. There is an expectation, however, that they will be moving out contracts like Viktor Arvidsson and Adam Henrique to create more space.
With Bouchard out of the way, the focus will now turn solely onto Connor McDavid’s next contract. The Oilers captain is set to become a UFA next summer and will be eligible to sign an extension starting on July 1.