In an interview this morning with Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Athletic, Stan Bowman said the team has had internal talks about Bouchard, but they don't seem to be jumping the gun to sign him.
Bouchard is only a restricted free agent, so the Oilers will still have priority to keep him next season. However, he will be eligible for salary arbitration.
Perhaps the Oilers don't try to sign Bouchard to a long-term deal this offseason, and instead try to keep his salary down with team leverage over the RFA.
It's surprising to see Bowman say that Bouchard is improving, which suggests that he's been really struggling early this season.
While Bouchard has had some glaring turnovers, and is on pace to set the record for most shot attempts blocked, he's still been the Oilers best defender.
Bouchard is on pace to score over 20 goals and 60 points again, while the rest of the Oilers scoring is down. Some of those turnovers look a lot worse when the goalie can't make a save, too.
According to reports from the beginning of the season, Evan Bouchard is seeking between 10 and 11 million in salary on a long-term contract.
For a cap-strapped team like the Edmonton Oilers, giving Bouchard a $6M raise will be very difficult - especially while they're paying another defender $9.25M.
Thankfully for the Oilers, the salary cap is projected to see a significant increase next season, but then Draisaitl's extension will kick in as well.
Still, when you're paying out $10M+ to a player, the Oilers need to be positive they're going to be an all-around key piece on the team.
Bouchard will have to continue to prove himself this season, and show that his last year's career high of 82 points wasn't a fluke - that he can be a premier offensive defenceman with in the NHL.
POLL | ||
Do you think the Oilers should sign Bouchard to a long term contract now? | ||
Yes | 46 | 35.1 % |
No | 74 | 56.5 % |
See Results | 11 | 8.4 % |
List of polls |