Oilers’ Evan Bouchard Deserves Greater Appreciation

As a neutral fan, the coverage I see of the Edmonton Oilers‘ Evan Bouchard has always confused me. An elite defenceman by every metric, he’s criticized more than perhaps any other star player in the sport. So, I watched him play a few games to see what the fuss was about.

Bouchard critics be warned, I’m sticking to my guns. In fact, I only appreciate him more after my mini-investigation. Frustrations with his frequent giveaways are valid. However, this is a superstar player whose impact on the Oilers is constantly understated. Here are my takeaways.

Bouchard’s Retrievals & Zone Exits

One noticeable yet overlooked strength for Bouchard is his ability to get the puck in the defensive zone and smoothly move it up to a teammate for a counterattack. This aspect of his game doesn’t get praised as much as it should—it’s a big part of what makes him special.

On a team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, your responsibility is to get them the puck. Bouchard is the Oilers’ best player at accomplishing this. It’s subtle and easy to miss, so it’s often taken for granted. But it’s helping drive his elite results.

McDavid makes it look effortless ????‍???? #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/EmTi5Ko38F

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 16, 2025

Plays like the one above explain why the Oilers’ superstars are at their best when Bouchard is on the ice. At 5-on-5 over the past three seasons, you may notice a difference in McDavid’s numbers when he’s with the star blueliner versus without him:

In a sample size of over 1,000 minutes in each situation, the results are clear. When sharing the ice at 5-on-5, McDavid and Bouchard have outscored their foes 126-77. When only McDavid is out there, the same jaw-dropping results haven’t come—the Oilers have scored 87 goals and allowed 80.

We see almost identical numbers with Draisaitl:

Draisaitl and Bouchard have combined for 92 goals scored and 53 goals allowed when playing at 5-on-5 with one another since 2022-23. When Draisaitl is alone, he’s scored 108 and allowed 96.

This isn’t the case just because Bouchard is a talented offensive-zone player. It’s his ability to get the puck up the ice, effectively starting breakouts for his top scorers. He is one of the best defencemen in the world at this skill. However, it’s something that I routinely see being ignored. Like McDavid’s speed or Draisaitl’s passing, Bouchard’s space creation is an essential pillar to success in Oil Country.

Bouchard Is a Ceiling-Raiser

Over the past two seasons, Bouchard is third in regular-season scoring among defencemen. He takes calculated risks to get there, which works perfectly on a contender like the Oilers—he’s a ceiling-raiser. McDavid and Draisaitl are enjoying that to the tune of over 62% goal shares at 5-on-5 apiece, making two of the deadliest players in hockey even deadlier. That’s not an accomplishment to be taken lightly.

Assists aren’t the best metric to compare giveaways to, but with that said, he’s right at the trend line in that department. Still, I won’t go against the grain here and argue he doesn’t turn the puck over a lot. He does. However, his strengths as a player make these giveaways negligible in my eyes. They don’t bother me.

Again, if McDavid and Draisaitl outscore the opposition at above a 62% rate with you and below a 53% rate without you over a three-season span, you’re doing something right. That fact alone makes the giveaways not worth getting riled up about. As I stated before, they’re calculated risks—the more he tests his luck, the better it is going to be for Edmonton.

I don’t think Bouchard deserves all the criticism he receives, even if I can understand where people are coming from. His impact is subtle—you’ll miss it if you blink. Still, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Just 25 years old, he’s got a bright future in the NHL. As long as he’s an Oiler, the team will, too.

Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick