NHL Rumors: Elliotte Friedman quotes monstrous contract figure for $7,800,000 Oilers star

Evan Bouchard may be close to a new contract with the Edmonton Oilers. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman gave an update on Sunday about his potential contract extension figures with the team.

Friedman spoke during the 32 Thoughts podcast and said both sides are confident a deal will get done soon.

"Evan Bouchard—there seemed to be a lot of confidence over the weekend that they're gonna get this sorted out," Friedman said. [34:00] "I wonder if it's gonna be around four times 9.5. Like, that's just numbers that were being thrown around here. We'll see. But there seems to be a lot of confidence that it's gonna get worked out."

Previously, NHL insider David Pagnotta also reported:

"Evan Bouchard also needs a new contract. Those talks will also pick up this week. He’ll crack 8 figures on his next deal," Pagnotta said.

Bouchard is a restricted free agent. His last contract was for two years and $7.8 million. That deal ended after the 2024–25 NHL season. Now, if the actual contract numbers are close to Friedman's suggested value, Bouchard will get a raise of around $5 million.

That is a big statement in itself about how important Bouchard has been for the Oilers recently. He had a strong regular season, scoring 67 points in 81 games, including 14 goals. He also averaged over 23 minutes of ice time per game.

In the playoffs, Bouchard had 23 points in 22 games. He averaged more than 26 minutes per game and helped the power play. Over the last three playoff seasons, Bouchard has 72 points in 59 games.

Oilers GM on Evan Bouchard's contract extension

Edmonton now faces big decisions, and signing Evan Bouchard will be one of their biggest moves. Previously, general manager Stan Bowman confirmed that the talks have started between him and the team.

"We’ve begun the negotiations, that’s all I really want to say," Bowman said, via Edmonton Journal. "I certainly think Bouch is a great player who had an excellent year. He’s a big part of this and we’re going to work through it ... We’ve had good discussions and we’re going to keep working at it.”

The Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Final again this year. But they lost to the Florida Panthers in six games. It was their second straight loss to the same team in the Final.