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Oilers Could Get Team Friendly Contract From Evan Bouchard As Reports Surface on Personal Connection
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard has broken out as a star NHL defenceman, and as a restricted free agent at the end of this season, Edmonton is leaning on some inside connections with the player to get a team friendly deal done.
President Jeff Jackson recently stated that he's confident the Oilers will come to terms with Bouchard after some less committal comments from GM Stan Bowman.
In a recent article for the Athletic, Oilers analyst Daniel Nugent-Bowman highlighted some personal connections between Bouchard, his agent, and Jeff Jackson that could produce a team friendly deal.
»He's an RFA with arbitration rights in July and is eligible to hit the open market in 2027. Negotiations shouldn't be problematic since the team's CEO of hockey operations, Jeff Jackson, used to work hand in hand with Bouchard's agent, Dave Gagner. But a contract isn't done until it's signed.»
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman, the Athletic
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman, the Athletic
The connections between the two parties run generations deep. Dave Gagner is the father of former Oiler Sam Gagner, who was Jeff Jackson's first client as a player agent.
Jackson and Gagner then worked together at Wasserman Group, a team of player agents.
Oilers President's Deep Connections with Evan Bouchard Could Lead to Team Friendly Contract
Evan Bouchard is the Oilers best defenceman, but some fans are weary of paying him a big contract due to some glaring turnovers.
Ignoring the fact that's a brutal criticism of his play, a team-friendly contract would obviously be better to see.
Currently, reports suggest Bouchard would be seeking $10-11M in annual salary on a long term contract. That's a hefty price to pay now, especially with Darnell Nurse on the books and raises for McDavid and Draisaitl.
However, it could be a shrewd decision from Edmonton to lock him down at the number now. The NHL's salary cap is expected to increase by more than $17M in the next two seasons, meaning players will ask for more money, and older contracts will have more value.
Hopefully the Oilers and Jeff Jackson can lean on this inside connection with Dave Gagner to get Bouchard signed to a team friendly, long term deal before the salary cap rises.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 28 | 261 ANSWERS Oilers Could Get Team Friendly Contract From Evan Bouchard As Reports Surface on Personal Connection Do you think the Oilers should re-sign Bouchard to a long term deal? | ||
| Yes | 130 | 49.8 % |
| No | 131 | 50.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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