Bouchard Almost Bolted for Eastern Contender via Offer Sheet

The Edmonton Oilers locked up star defenceman Evan Bouchard to a four-year, $42 million contract this offseason—but not without paying a premium to fend off a potential offer sheet from the Carolina Hurricanes.

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the original expectation was for Bouchard to sign for around $9.5 million per season. However, the threat of Carolina swooping in with an offer sheet forced Edmonton’s hand, pushing the final deal to $10.5 million annually—an extra $1 million per year to ensure Bouchard remained an Oiler.

Friedman noted that Edmonton found out Carolina was going to make the offer, and it wasn’t until the Oilers got Bouchard signed that the Hurricanes pivoted to the New York Rangers and defenceman K’Andre Miller. Edmonton quickly closed the deal with their defenseman to get the Hurricanes to go away. GM Stan Bowman wasn’t about to lose his guy for $1 million per season.

Did This Mean Bouchard Was Going to Accept the Offer Sheet?

These comments from Friedman are intriguing because if there was a real threat to the Oilers, it meant Bouchard was considering taking the offer sheet. Remember, a player has to be willing to sign the offer sheet for the team that owns his rights to lose him. Carolina could have offered $15 million per season, but if Bouchard were never going to leave, there would have been no threat.

The Oilers wouldn’t be worried about Bouchard accepting the offer sheet if they had an indication that wasn’t on his radar.

This adds an interesting wrinkle to the relationship between the Oilers and Bouchard. If this report is accurate, it means the Bouchard could potentially secure another massive payday for the Oilers in four years. In other words, if Bouchard was willing to leave the Oilers — a team that drafted and developed him and has been to the Cup Final for two straight seasons — he’s not about to give Edmonton a team-friendly discount.

It could also explain why Bowman said an eight-year deal with Bouchard was never in the cards. Bouchard’s agent said the AAV would have to be so high for eight years that the Oilers wouldn’t want to do it.

Bouchard, 24, has emerged as one of the NHL’s premier offensive defencemen. He wants to be paid like it, and the four-year deal means he’s looking to cash in as the salary cap rises.

By committing to Bouchard at a higher price point, the Oilers made it clear they were keeping their championship window open. However, Edmonton’s willingness to add another $1 million per season to Bouchard’s deal means retaining elite talent isn’t going to come cheaply.

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