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Corey Perry and Evan Bouchard Break Their Silence on Future With Oilers

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 2:03 PM ET

Oilers' Corey Perry and Evan Bouchard met with the media today, where they both discussed how fond they are of the city and hope to remain with the team.

Corey Perry wants to go back to the Edmonton Oilers, and he has some company. The veteran right winger talked about how he would prefer to remain with the team at the Oilers' year-end media availability.

Though he has just turned 40, Perry feels he still has a great deal to give and would like to keep chasing a Stanley Cup in Edmonton. His veteran leadership and experience played key roles in the stretch run, and he has said he'd like to repeat that.

'I would love to stay here.'
- Corey Perry

Bouchard will be a restricted free agent in just under two weeks

Another giant piece attempting to stay is star defensemen Evan Bouchard. While the 25-year-old will become a restricted free agent on July 1, with arbitration rights, there have been no reports he wants out.

'I love being here. I want to be here.'
- Evan Bouchard

Bouchard said that he did not want contract talks to be a distraction during the playoffs and left his mind only on the game. Bouchard recently finished a two-year bridge contract worth $3.9 million annually and is thus eligible for a huge pay increase.

He was building on an 82-point season in 2023-24 with another strong season, scoring 67 points in 82 games and 23 during the playoffs.

For the second consecutive year, he was Edmonton's busiest, most reliable defenseman, running their power play and logging big minutes everywhere.

The Oilers have $8.715 million in projected cap room for next season, according to CapWages. With so many of their core signed, management will be left to settle with pending free agents like Perry, Bouchard, Connor Brown, and John Klingberg.

Bouchard, who has 347 games and 238 points on his resume already, indicated that the two straight Final losses for the team will only make the Cup 'that much sweeter' once they have won it.

This article first appeared on Hockey Latest and was syndicated with permission.

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