This in from former NHL GM and player agent Brian Lawton, a confident statement that the Edmonton Oilers and star d-man Evan Bouchard will be able to work out a major new long-term contract.
Lawton said that in the past ten day he had spoken with his old NHL teammate and Bouchard’s agent Dave Gagner. Gagner told Lawton he is well aware of the noise in Canada and the USA that Bouchard is great player, but he makes mistakes and they tend to be massive.
But Lawton told Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now he doesn’t buy that assessment of Bouchard. “It’s all a bunch of baloney.”
Bouchard is a restricted free agent this July 1.
Gagner’s main point to Lawton about Bouchard, reported Lawton? “This guy delivers at the most difficult time, year in and year out. He’s playing tremendous this year, but he’s delivered in the past for this club as well.”
Lawton continued: “He’s an RFA, but I have no doubt that Edmonton will work out the right solution with him long term. It’s important that people remember that it’s not just how good the player is, but it’s also the circumstances that you find yourself in. The Edmonton Oilers are a perfect fit for Evan Bouchard and his skills. They really are. They have a perfect complementary defenseman in Ekholm. They have a perfect offensive group that Evan is able to enrich himself by playing along with these elite players at a level that is. you know, Connor and Leon are talked about as literally living legends by the other players in the league. Evan has to happens to complement and enhance those players performance to almost at 100% of what you could ever expect from any player that ever played the game.
“But I think Edmonton is a perfect spot for him. But when it comes to the money, you just, you know, you hope that rationale leads the day when it’s all said and done, I do believe that will happen for him and the Edmonton Oilers.”
dmen