This 4-year signing could go down as Stan Bowman's biggest steal yet

It's been one year since the Edmonton Oilers locked up Evan Bouchard on a four-year, $10.5 million extension.

That number looked steep when it landed. It doesn't look that way anymore.

Bouchard put up 95 points this season, 21 goals and 74 assists, and finished a plus-25 across all 82 games on Edmonton's blue line.

He's trending up too. Thirteen points over his last 10 games, seven of those in just his last five.

Seven power play goals. Twenty-six power play assists. Bouchard runs Edmonton's man advantage from the back end now, full stop.

That cap hit ranks 17th among every skater in the league, and fourth among defensemen, behind Erik Karlsson, Rasmus Dahlin and Drew Doughty.

How many $10 million deals age this well after just one year?

Where Bouchard's $10.5M cap hit ranks among NHL defensemen

Line up that group's numbers and it's not close. Karlsson, Dahlin and Doughty all play big roles, but none matched Bouchard's 95-point season.

Contrast that with Darnell Nurse's deal on the same roster. Nurse carries a $9.25 million cap hit and finished with 24 points, seven goals and 17 assists.

That one hasn't aged nearly as well.

Bouchard added seven more points in six playoff games against Anaheim, production that carried over from the power play to even strength.

Most nine-figure extensions curdle fast in this cap era. Bouchard's is doing the opposite, somehow getting better with age.

Mike Babcock steps in as Edmonton's new head coach with Bouchard already locked in as the number one option on the back end.

GM Stan Bowman built this deal long before Babcock ever walked through the door.

The Oilers finished 41-30-11 with 93 points, second in the Pacific Division behind Vegas, with Bouchard's shot from the point powering the man advantage all season.

Three years remain on this contract. If Bouchard keeps trending the way he has, the number that once raised eyebrows around the league might end up looking like a discount.