Top NHL analyst reveals expected contract value for Oilers' Evan Bouchard

Bouchard has long been a divisive player in the Oilers fanbase, with heavy criticism for some ugly and pronounced turnovers. Even with those plays, there's no question he's one of the elite defenceman in the NHL.

According to NHL analyst Dom Luszczyszyn at the Athletic, Bouchard's actual projected value could reach upwards of $14.5M - but his actual contract should come far below that.

Luszczyszyn explains that this figure is reached by calculating a percentage of the salary cap relative to other comparable players for Bouchard. Top pair defenceman usually command 10.5% of the entire salary cap, which is expected to rise significantly in the new few years.

Bouchard is an amazing fit as a puck moving right shot defenceman for the talented Oilers forwards, but he is able to produce and drive play without them on the ice too. He's a dominant player, and it shows by the fact that he's leading playoff scoring for defenceman by over 30 points.

With the salary cap expected to be rising well over $100M in the next few years, a value of $10.6M for Bouchard would be a steal for the Oilers, and allow them surplus value to sign more players. They need to get him locked up to a long term deal this summer.