If the Oilers let Evan Bouchard get away, they’d be looking for a similar player the next day. And they’d never find one. The decision to sign Bouchard to a four-year extension was an easy one.

The Edmonton Oilers and No. 1 defenceman Evan Bouchard have agreed to a contract: four years with a $10.5 million cap hit. Oil Country is getting the 25-year-old on an affordable salary through the 2028–29 campaign.