Stan Bowman's next signing is about to leave the Oilers fanbase divided

Neither asks the only question that decides this deal: who actually holds the leverage?

The number keeps climbing in public. One take pitched a disciplined seven years around $5.5 to $6 million.

A day later, another would hand Savoie $7.5 million without blinking.

That jump, not the figure, is the real signal here.

In a rising-cap world, floating ever-larger numbers only shows Savoie's camp what the market will bear. The bidding is happening on the player's side of the table.

Savoie has one season left on an $886,667 entry-level deal and becomes a restricted free agent in 2027. He has no reason to sign early at a discount while the cap climbs around him.

A 22-year-old coming off 18 goals and 37 points controls the timing.

Edmonton, carrying Leon Draisaitl at $14 million and Evan Bouchard at $10.5 million, does not.

Bowman has stayed disciplined and said nothing publicly, so any "about to finalize" framing overstates a negotiation that has not visibly begun.

The comparables cut against the buy-low case. Frank Nazar, drafted four picks after Savoie, already signed seven years near $6.6 million on a thinner résumé.

There is no mechanism forcing his hand either. Restricted free agents routinely play out entry-level deals, then cash in once they own real leverage.

If Savoie posts 50 points next season, today's $6 million debate becomes a bargain Edmonton never gets to book. The smart play for him is to decline every offer in this range and bet on himself.

So the "what would you offer" game is backwards. Bowman can name a price, but he cannot make Savoie take it, and nothing in the math says he should this summer.

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