Hurricanes reportedly planned to give Evan Bouchard offer sheet before defender extended with Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers weren’t going to lose any marquee restricted free agents this summer.

On Monday, the Oilers managed to re-sign not just Jake Walman, but also Connor McDavid, ending what was a busy off-season for the team (barring Mattias Ekholm re-signing). Early in the off-season, Edmonton agreed to a four-year deal worth $10.5 million with their cornerstone defenceman, Evan Bouchard.

In Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman’s most recent 32 Thoughts, he noted that it’s assumed that the Carolina Hurricanes were set to give Bouchard a hefty offer sheet. The quote is below.

“It’s believed the Hurricanes put together a one-year deal at a number higher than McDavid just signed for, then figure out an extension. [The Hurricanes] turned their attention to K’Andre Miller, and worked out a trade with the Rangers.”

Thankfully, an Oiler wasn’t offer sheeted for a second off-season in a row. That said, had the Hurricanes (or any other team) given Bouchard an offer sheet, he accepted, and the Oilers didn’t match, they would’ve received picks. In this case, anything over $11.7 million would’ve resulted in a first-round pick for the next four drafts from 2026 onward.

Would four first-round picks be worth it for Bouchard? Absolutely not. While the Oilers would’ve acquired important trade pieces, replacing one of the best defencemen in the league is no easy feat. Before Bouchard became the player he is, the Oilers were seeking a puck-moving defenceman for years, at least dating back to Chris Pronger.

Not just that, but Bouchard is one of the premier offensive defencemen in the league. In the last two seasons, the 25-year-old right-shot defenceman has 32 goals and 149 points in regular season action. Yes, he makes confounding turnovers during the regular season, but Bouchard has always stepped up his play in the postseason.

Over the past four postseasons, Bouchard has 20 goals and 81 points in 75 games. He’s been even better the past two years, scoring 13 goals and 55 points in 47 games. Through his postseason career, Bouchard’s 1.080 point-per-game pace is the second-highest of all time, behind only Bobby Orr. It’s not a small sample size either, as Bouchard has played one more postseason game than Orr, and four fewer games than Cale Makar, who is behind him.

Safe to say, Bouchard is a key piece to this Oilers’ team.