Former Lightning GM weighs in on Oilers' contract extension for Evan Bouchard as offer sheet threat looms large

Evan Bouchard is preparing to hit restricted free agency, giving him the chance to sign with any team he wants. The Oilers can match the offer sheets, which presents a unique challenge in keeping a young star player.

With Edmonton coming close to winning it all in two straight years, keeping pieces of the core like Bouchard is paramount. How will the franchise do it?

It might have to pay a lot, according to former Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Brian Lawton.

"An eight-year term? It’s definitely double digits," Lawton said on Wednesday (20:00), via "NOW." "As you’re preparing for these deals, you have complete control of the player. That’s going to change on July 1, though. Yes, rules are different. You’re no longer able to file for arbitration on this player like you used to be able to prior to July 1."

He said that the Oilers need to be "dialed in" and do their due diligence to find out who can afford Bouchard and who might be interested in him. They also need to know how much they're willing to pay and who they're betting against.

"There’s going to be a lot of action around him until he is signed, in my opinion," Lawton said. "And he will be getting signed. He will get double digits. I would clearly offer him something north of $10 million. I’m north of $10.5 at this stage."

Lawton added that the team needs to find out if Edmonton is Bouchard's desired long-term home, and called him a "tremendous player."

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Former NHL exec reveals issue with teams signing Evan Bouchard

Former Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Brian Lawton believes there will be a lot of interest in Evan Bouchard despite the restricted free agent's status. Teams will have to be willing to pay enough to convince the Oilers not to match an offer sheet.

Evan Bouchard is an RFA (Imagn)

However, Bouchard isn't a perfect player, so some teams may be hesitant.

"The rub against Evan is that he would not be the same player in a lesser offensively-oriented club than he is in Edmonton," Lawton said on Wednesday (22:15), via "NOW."

"So it really is going to come down, in my opinion, to Evan making a decision—does he like this group of players, does he like the city of Edmonton, does he want to win a championship with them?"

Lawton also said that if the "stars align," Bouchard will get paid more than he might've ever dreamed of. However, Lawton didn't say it was more than he deserved because Bouchard has been "outstanding."