NHL Rumors: $1.25B franchise 'threatened' Oilers with offer sheet for Evan Bouchard, reveals insider

The Carolina Hurricanes nearly made a bold move this offseason. On Sunday's episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said the Hurricanes "threatened" the Oilers with an offer sheet for Evan Bouchard.

This pushed Edmonton to sign Bouchard quickly with a four-year, $42 million contract. The extension has an average annual value of $10.5 million.

"Carolina did a lot of things that are now coming to the surface to show that they were willing to be aggressive," Friedman said. "The reason Evan Bouchard's extension got done in Edmonton so quickly was because they threatened the Oilers with an offer sheet. And we'll find out someday what the truth is there."

Friedman said Bouchard was expected to sign for around $9.5 million per year.

"I think a lot of people kind of believe that Bouchard was going to come in around four times nine and a half," Friedman added. "But if you look at his arbitration case, he could have gotten 10.

"And I think the fact that the Hurricanes were lurking around there, got that deal to four times 10 and a half. So after they didn't get Bouchard, they pivoted to K'Andre Miller."

Carolina’s interest helped Bouchard earn a better deal. He was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1.

Carolina is valued at $1.25 billion according to Forbes. After missing out on Bouchard, Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky traded for K’Andre Miller from the NY Rangers. Miller signed an eight-year deal with a $7.5 million average annual value.

“K’Andre is a defenseman who we feel is a very strong fit for the way we play,” Tulsky said in a news release.

Evan Bouchard sees Oilers have a real chance "to win the Stanley Cup"

Evan Bouchard said the Oilers’ goal is to win the Stanley Cup. He believes the team has the right players.

"Definitely, that's the goal for myself and the organization and everybody else in the locker room is to win the Stanley Cup," Bouchard said, according to NHL.com. "... We've shown that in the last couple of years, we're just a fraction off and we just have to figure that out. We have the opportunity to get it done."

Bouchard had 67 points in 82 regular-season games last season. He added 23 points in 22 playoff games. He is now one of the league’s top offensive defensemen. His playoff scoring rate is second among defensemen, behind only Bobby Orr.