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NHL Rumors: Edmonton Oilers knowingly stifling $7.8M D-man's contract extension this summer
The Edmonton Oilers have massive contract extensions coming up in the next seasons. Currently, Leon Draisaitl is eligible for an extension, and the Oilers are already working on a deal to lock up the German superstar before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Captain and Conn Smythe winner Connor McDavid's current $100M contract, which expires after the 2025-26 season, will also be eligible for re-extension next season. Headlining the Edmonton Oilers' D-corps extension talks is Evan Bouchard, whose $7.8M contract ends after next season when he will become a restricted free agent.
The Athletic's Daniel-Nugent Bowman shared an important report regarding the D-man's extension talks with the Oilers on X (formerly Twitter).
"I’m told it’s unlikely the Oilers & Evan Bouchard (RFA: 2025 w/ arb rights; UFA: 2027) will discuss an extension this summer," Bowman tweeted.
Evan Bouchard has been an in-born talent for the Edmonton Oilers after being drafted as the tenth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was in the same draft class as other now-elite NHL defensemen like Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin and Canucks' Quinn Hughes.
Bouchard finished last season as the fourth-highest scorer among defensemen with 81 points and boasted 32 points during the Oilers' Stanley Cup playoff run which ended in a Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers.
Edmonton Oilers are on a strict timeline to sign Leon Draisaitl extension
Leon Draisaitl's agent, Jiri Poner, provided a timeline for the Edmonton Oilers to offer the German forward an extension in the interview with "EIShockey news."
“There's no rush yet, but either it happens quickly, i.e. by the end of August, or it doesn't work out at all. It will also become clear whether Edmonton wants him or not. Leon holds all the trump cards,” Poner said.
More from Draisaitl's agent: Leon Draisaitl's agent provides strict deadline for Oilers to work out $68,000,000 star's contract extension
In an interview in June before the NHL Draft, Oilers' CEO and interim GM Jeff Jackson addressed Draisaitl's impending contract extension and pinpointed an entity that needs to be locked in place before Draisaitl agrees to an extension. Jackson said:
"I mentioned earlier he needs to know who the new GM is before we really do that because he’s not going to commit long term... "
The Edmonton Oilers have been linked to recently reinstated ex-Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman. He was temporarily locked out from working in the NHL for his mishandling of the Kyle Beach sexual assault case. But commissioner Gary Bettman reinstated him, coach Joel Quenneville and Al McIsaac. Jackson had addressed the rumors of hiring Bowman as a GM and said:
" .... was so busy today that I only heard about it after we finished some things we were trying to get done. I haven't really thought about it"
Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are all integral parts of the Edmonton Oilers core. They headline the teams' powerplay unit which really shone in the playoffs, and in the regular season after the Oilers' shaky start.
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