Photo credit: Daily Faceoff
It was reported yesterday that the New York Rangers may consider offer sheeting Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard next summer as his contract comes to an end.
Jesse Courville-Lynch of The Hockey Writers feels that the Rangers would be looking to retool their defense as the team has made strong efforts to trade Rangers captain Jacob Trouba. There were several rumors this summer that he was on the verge of becoming a Detroit Red Wing, but those rumors failed to pan out and he will be with the Rangers in training camp in the next few days.
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The notion of the offer sheet is the continued fallout from the two offer sheets the Oilers received for Phillip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. The organization felt that they could not afford both players and they did not match their offers which sent them to the St Louis Blues.
As much as teams do not want to lose prospects or young players, a player like Bouchard is another level. He has shown last season that he is not a flash of the pan that he has become an elite offensive defenseman, and that Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson and general manager Stan Bowman will not let him walk.
Bouchard was chosen in the 2018 entry draft by the Oilers, first round 10th overall. Last season was his breakout year as he played 81 games, scored eighteen goals with 64 assists for 82 points and was a + 34 with 32 penalty minutes. He eats the lion share of the minutes as he played 23 minutes of ice time on average.
It's safe to say the Oilers will need to do some cap juggling to fit him under a new contract, but with Leon Draisaitl completed and negotiations for Bouchard can begin, it remains to be seen on what his number will look like as some have suggested between 9 and 10 million per year.
This management group has made it clear that they do not want to break up this core as it took the Oilers to the Stanley Cup final and Game 7 within two goals of winning the Stanley Cup. The Rangers can keep dreaming but it's safe to say these are the kind of players you lock up indefinitely.
