There’s a big elephant in the room inside the Edmonton Oilers‘ facilities—but the organization has seemingly decided to turn a blind eye to it. Following the hefty contract extension for Evan Bouchard, the Oilers are reportedly not rushing to fill a much-needed position to support Connor McDavid and the rest of the team.
While hoping to enter contract talks with McDavid, the Oilers are undoubtedly playing a risky game. The former first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft becomes eligible for an extension on July 1st. However, Edmonton appears to be in no rush—or at least doesn’t want its star to feel pressured to sign.
In the meantime, the Oilers must focus on proving to McDavid that this team can actually hoist the Stanley Cup. Merely reaching the Final does him no good—if anything, it only makes the pain sting more. On that note, there’s a huge void that must be filled: goaltending.
Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard haven’t proven to be reliable on the biggest stages of the NHL season. During the past postseason, they made costly mistakes on multiple occasions.
Evan Bouchard #2 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates a goal during the second period against the Vancouver Canucks in Game Six of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on May 18, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta.
Retaining Bouchard was certainly a major priority. But McDavid and company likely hoped that getting that deal done would signal the start of Edmonton’s search in the goalie market. As it turns out, that’s reportedly not the plan in Alberta’s capital.
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“The Oilers are open to adding a goalie, but I don’t think they’ve 100% concluded they have to do it right now. Maybe it’s something you can do during the season,” insider Chris Johnston said about the Oilers’ approach.
Bouchard cashes in
After signing a two-year contract with the Oilers ahead of the 2023-24 NHL season, Bouchard’s production skyrocketed. Since, the 25-year-old has tallied 149 points (32G, 117A). Now, he cashed in as he was set to become a restricted free agents (RFA).
The Oilers handed Bouchard a four-year, $42M contract, which has now cast some doubts on the available space for McDavid’s next deal. Bouchard’s $10.5M AAV now takes up 11% of the team’s cap space, according to PuckPedia.
Walking out
According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, veteran forward Corey Perry is set to test the market as an unrestricted free agent. After back-to-back losses in the Stanley Cup Final, Perry may be eyeing new horizons.
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The 40-year-old is hoping to end his current skid, having been on the losing side in five of the last six Stanley Cup Finals. As it stands, that might not be alongside McDavid and Bouchard in Alberta.
