The Edmonton Oilers received a lot of heat in last year’s offseason from their fan base for not signing restricted free agents Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. They ended up signing significant contract agreements with the St. Louis Blues, and were not matched by the Oilers.
In the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Oilers got by the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars. However, the Stanley Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers in six games was very painful to an Oilers fan base that was hoping to see their team be the first Canadian based franchise to win the Stanley Cup since 1993. Edmonton had just lost the 2024 Stanley Cup Final to the Panthers in seven games.
The question will forever remain could Broberg and Holloway had been difference makers and got the Oilers over the hump? In the offseason the plan for the Oilers has been to get a little younger (said bye to 40-year-old Corey Perry, 33-year-old Evander Kane, 32-year-old Viktor Arvidsson, and 32-year-old John Klingberg). They are also making plans to institute 21-year-old Matthew Savoie in their lineup, after acquiring him in a trade with Buffalo in last year’s offseason.
But the Oilers learned about the necessity of signing restricted free agents. A day before the Free Agent Frenzy last week, the Oilers re-signed their top offensive defenseman Evan Bouchard of Oakville, Ontario. Why was it so important the Oilers gave Bouchard a four-year extension worth $42 million? Well, it is because we learned on Monday, that had the Oilers not been proactive and got an extension done, that the Carolina Hurricanes would have given Bouchard an offer sheet that would have once again been too challenging for the Oilers to match.
So, why is Bouchard so valuable? It is because he has a booming shot, extremely valuable in regular season three-on-three overtime situations with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (the Oilers’s two offensive superstar sensations), and has been extra valuable in the playoffs. Just how much of a stud has Bouchard been in postseason play? In 75 postseason games, he already has 81 postseason points. That is 24th all-time among blueliners, and fourth most among active defensemen (only behind Victor Hedman, Kris Letang, and Cale Makar). That folks is elite company. The Oilers fan base should be relieved as their star d-man is locked up for the foreseeable future.
