For the second straight year, Edmonton Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard has been named a top-10 blueliner in the league. And for the second straight year, he held the No. 10 spot in a rankings release by the NHL Network.
The fact he isn’t higher on the list is somewhat surprising, given the 26-year-old is fresh off a breakout season in which he scored 21 goals and 74 assists for 95 points in 82 games. He led all defencemen in assists and goals.
Maybe it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise, given he came in fourth in Norris Trophy voting for the league’s top defenceman, behind Rasmus Dahlin, Cale Makar, and the winner, Zach Werenski. All three of those blueliners were ahead of him in the NHL Network’s ranking. Coming in ninth was the Detroit Red Wings’ Moritz Seider, as the Ottawa Senators’ Jake Sanderson was eighth. Seventh on the list was rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer, who unanimously won the Calder Trophy after scoring 59 points with the New York Islanders.
Continuing down the list at No. 6 was the Montreal Canadiens’ Lane Hutson, Dallas Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen at No. 5, then Dahlin, Werenski, and Minnesota Wild blueliner Quinn Hughes, while Makar earned the top spot.
Much of the list has a subjective feel to it, and for Bouchard to not climb the list after the season is surprising. It’s not to say that the other defencemen ahead of him don’t deserve to be there, but more so that the improvements in Bouchard’s game haven’t been noticed, doubly so considering he added the ability to kill penalties to his toolbox last season.
As I
wrote about last week, much of that likely has to do with the perception he’s developed as a “bad defender,” thanks to early-season giveaways that are, undoubtedly, egregious. But when you’re a player like Bouchard, turnovers are going to happen. It happens to Makar. It happens to Hughes. It happens to Werenski and to every other defender listed before and after Bouchard.
Bouchard’s ability to drive play both offensively and defensively is legit. As highlighted by HockeyViz, since 2022-23, he’s driven play offensively at a 28 per cent rate better than league average, and more importantly, has driven defence at a 15 per cent rate above league average. When isolating his minutes away from Ekholm, he drives offence at a 24 per cent rate above league average and defence at a 12 per cent rate above league average. He’s as legit as they come.
This year, under Mike Babcock and D.J. Smith, a key for Bouchard will be limiting the big blunders, and potentially raising his stock as the player he has become.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
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