It’s fair enough that some folks are fed up with Evan Bouchard, some wanting him benched, others wanting him traded away. I get his casual style of play drives many a fan crazy, especially if they expect their d-men to be variations of the Big Bobby Clobber prototype d-man.
But as poorly as Bouchard has played this year — and he’s one of many grossly under-performing d-men on the Oilers this year though far from the only one — I can’t get worked up into hating on the player, certainly not so violently as I see many a fan and pundit doing right now.
In this post let me explain to you why I don’t see Bouchard this same way, why I have a monumental amount of goodwill and patience for the player.
1. I’ll start it off with my best argument, Exhibit A, when Bouchard stole the puck of L.A.’s Quinton Byfield and tied the score 3-3 with 28 seconds left in Game Four of the Edmonton-Los Angeles series in the 2025 playoffs.
2. Now you might say, ‘Hey, that’s just one goal.’ But as well all know in the last two playoff seasons Bouchard has dominated when it comes to d-man scoring with 55 points in 47 games. Next best is Miro Heiskanen of Dallas with 20 points in 27 games and Cale Makar of the Avs with 20 points in 18 games.
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3. Some will point out that Bouchard played many more games than most other d-men the last two playoff years, and that he scored so many of his points on the power play. But if we look at point scoring rates for NHL d-men at even strength the past two playoff years, Bouchard ranks second behind only Cam Fowler of St. Louis, who got hot in a small sample size this past playoff season. Bouchard has consistently put up playoff points in all situations.
And, in case you forget, scoring and assisting on goals in the playoffs is the most difficult and important of all skills for NHL players. It’s how you win series, as the Oilers have done.
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4. But what about his awful defensive play? Yes, Bouchard has his struggles in the regular season on defence. He leaks Grade A shots and goals against at a higher rate than most Oilers d-men in the regular reason. He’s going through a particularly ugly patch of play right now.
But, again, in the playoffs, Bouchard shines on the attack and he also picks up his play on defence. He’s been the best two-way d-man in the playoffs for the Oilers two years running.
We know that some d-men fade in the playoffs. The pressure gets to them. They start to make all kind of extra turnovers and mental mistakes.
But not cool Bouchard.
He gets steadier. His shots and passes are more true. His defensive reads faster, his defensive positioning more solid. In the playoffs in 2025, he was so steady on defence that his coaches promoted him to play on the penalty kill.
5. While the playoffs are Bouchard’s time, he’s also been a strong d-man for the Oilers in the regular season. He and Mattias Ekholm have formed one of the strongest d-man pairings in the entire NHL. In the past two seasons Bouchard has been the third highest scoring d-man in the NHL, behind only Makar and Quinn Hughes of Vancouver.
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All that said, if coach Kris Knoblauch decides to bench Bouchard for a few shifts after his next turnover or take him off the top power play for a spell, I’m good with that, if only because it’ll calm down some of his angriest and fiercest critics. It also might well help Bouchard snap out of the funk he’s in.
But he’s in a funk, he’s not a funky player. He’s an outstanding attacking d-men, one of the two or three best in hockey, and he’s a solid defender against tough competition in the biggest games of the NHL calendar.
I’m thrilled he’s an Oiler. Edmonton is lucky to have him
A few ugly turnover in the regular season aren’t going to shake my faith in the player.
You?
At the Cult of Hockey
STAPLES: ‘There’s got to be some accountability’: ex-NHLers call for Evan Bouchard benching
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