The Edmonton Oilers are bracing for a pivotal offseason, with one major contract negotiation likely to shape the rest of their summer. Star defenseman Evan Bouchard is due for a massive raise, leaving the Oilers with tough decisions on several other pending free agents. Bouchard is having another outstanding playoff run, proving that he’s worth the significant investment and a long-term extension.
Bouchard Is About to Get Paid by the Oilers
The Athletic’s Harman Dayal took a look at the fallout from Bouchard’s next deal. He writes:
“Evan Bouchard’s next contract is going to single-handedly eat up nearly all of the Oilers’ cap space this summer. Bouchard has scored the third-most points of all NHL defensemen over the last two years, behind only Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. His defensive play can be up-and-down at times, but elite offensive numbers will always get a player paid a huge ransom.”
source – ‘Why these 4 NHL teams could lose good players because of salary cap crunches’ – Harman Dayal – The Athletic – 06/11/2025
According to contract projections from both Evolving-Hockey and AFP Analytics, Bouchard is expected to command an eight-year deal worth between $10.6 and $10.9 million annually.
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While the scribe notes this is excellent news for the Oilers in the long run — locking up a cornerstone defenseman for the bulk of his prime — he also points out that it immediately takes a chunk out of the organization’s salary cap flexibility.
Edmonton is currently projected to have $11.9 million in cap space. If Bouchard’s deal lands near the projected range, that would leave just $1–1.5 million for additional moves.
Who Will the Oilers Likely Lose?
The good news is that the Oilers will have nearly a full roster after signing Bouchard. That bad news is that there isn’t room for three or four of the leftover pieces the team might like to bring back.
The team would have 11 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders under contract, but John Klingberg, Connor Brown, Trent Frederic, Corey Perry, Jeff Skinner, and Kasperi Kapanen will all be…
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