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Edmonton Oilers Extend Evan Bouchard to 4-Year Contract

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Justin Giampietro | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 6:21 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers and No. 1 defenceman Evan Bouchard have agreed to a contract: four years with a $10.5 million cap hit. Oil Country is getting the 25-year-old on an affordable salary through the 2028–29 campaign. However, his deal will expire while he’s still theoretically in his prime, so the downside here is the term.

Evan Bouchard is signing a four-year extension with Edmonton carrying a $10.5M AAV.

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Bouchard has a powerful shot to complement his superstar puck-moving ability. While many harp on his defensive lapses, the Oilers have a 57.29% goal share (165 scored, 123 allowed; plus-42 rating) over the past two seasons when he’s on the ice at 5-on-5. When he’s on the bench, it’s a subpar 49.27% goal share (196 scored, 201 allowed; minus-5 rating). Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl see a similar trend in their with-versus-without Bouchard minutes.

It’s no coincidence that since he took on a true top-pairing role in 2023–24, Edmonton has reached the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons. With a career playoff point-per-game rate of 1.08, Bouchard is second all-time to Bobby Orr (1.24) among defencemen with at least 20 games played. Over the past two playoff runs, when Bouchard’s on the ice, his team has a 61.96% goal share. When he’s not, they have a 44.86% goal share.

Despite trading away Evander Kane’s entire $5.125 million cap hit earlier in the offseason, the Oilers are tight on money. According to PuckPedia, they have less than $600,000 available with 22 of 23 roster spots filled. General manager Stan Bowman still has work to do.

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