The Edmonton Oilers are hoping they can push for another Stanley Cup Final run, and this time around, not finish as the runner-up. After some strong acquisitions in the offseason, Oilers fans were excited to see the team get back on the ice and begin their journey on another potentially successful season.
Related: Oilers News & Rumours: Roslovic, First Win, Trade Coming
While some fans questioned goaltending, some fans were concerned about the massive contract extension given to Evan Bouchard, and despite his relatively strong start, one bad game against the New York Islanders has many talking.
A couple of bad giveaways, some rough decision-making defensively, it was a tough game for the star, and it is being discussed by many Oilers fans across social media, again sparking the debate about the value of analytics.
Take a look at the single-game analytics from their game against the Islanders here from Hockey Stat Cards on X:
NHL GameScore Impact Card for Edmonton Oilers on 2025-10-16: pic.twitter.com/PH7hfwDqza
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 17, 2025
Not a good game from Bouchard, and everything from the eye test to the analytics supports it. Something that was even more interesting was Oilers’ pundit Mark Spector being very blunt about Bouchard’s play and his chances at cracking the Canadian Olympic team next year.
That's the mistake that will have Bouchard in Turks and Caicos during the Olympic break, not Milan.
— Mark Spector???????????????? (@SportsnetSpec) October 17, 2025
A needless dangle while last man back, pocket picked, 1-0 Isles.
Spector is one of, if not the most popular, pundits amongst Oilers media, known for calling things as he sees them. This tweet sparked a ton of debate, and even though the game is behind everyone, some people continue to talk about it.
Spector also put out an article discussing the game between the Oilers and Islanders, titling it “Oilers’ Bouchard has nightmare night in loss to Islanders”, speaking to how much he disliked his game.
Fans were quick to come to Bouchard’s defence, stating that one bad game shouldn’t decide whether or not he has a shot at representing his country at the Olympics, but the unfortunate reality is that Spector is right. There isn’t a lot of time for players to prove they should be trusted to help their country win a gold medal, and any off-night could hurt their chances significantly.
There is still plenty of time for Bouchard to make a case for himself, but a couple of avoidable defensive blunders might be what keep him off the roster, even when it shouldn’t.
Bouchard’s Play Has Been Strong Otherwise
Aside from one bad game, Bouchard’s game has actually been quite strong. He has yet to hit the score sheet, but that can simply be chalked up to bad luck. Even in the Oilers’ recent loss to the New Jersey Devils, he was one of the team’s top players.
NHL GameScore Impact Card for Edmonton Oilers on 2025-10-18: pic.twitter.com/7nZmraNmbk
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 18, 2025
The Oilers have struggled to find the back of the net early in the season, but fans are not panicking whatsoever. Their slow starts have become expected at this point, and once the team gets used to each other and things get going as the season moves along, the team begins to flow, and the negativity goes out the window.
Bouchard is someone who will have fans split down the middle for the remainder of his career. One side believes he is one of the strongest all-around defenders in the NHL, which is supported by analytics and most statistics, while the other side believes he is a liability.
As someone who previously called Bouchard a liability and disagreed with the analytics, it is very hard to look past a blunder in October that leads to a goal against. However, the reality is, his consistency and offensive dominance, combined with how much he elevates in the postseason, make him one of the most valuable players on the Oilers’ roster.
It is a matter of time before he starts putting up points and snaps out of his slump, but fans shouldn’t be concerned about his play moving forward. Bad games happen to everyone; he is going to make mistakes now and again, but let’s not ignore how good he is and only mention those little mistakes.
The Oilers have bigger issues at hand right now, and Bouchard is not one of them.
