There are few players on the Edmonton Oilers more under the microscope than defenceman Evan Bouchard this season.
At the forefront of discourse have been some glaring mistakes he’s made in the defensive zone, highlighted in Tuesday’s game where he failed to make a play on Brandon Hagel’s wraparound goal.
Pundits and fans have often pointed to lackadaisical play in his own zone with a lack of urgency consistently pointed towards. But Oilers general manager Stan Bowman isn’t buying it, speaking out on Wednesday’s episode of Frankly Speaking with Frank Seravalli and defending the criticism his No. 1 defenceman has taken.
“Bouch does get a lot of criticism — I think a lot unfairly so,” said Bowman. “He’s a great player, he really is a big part of our team. He’s very effective, and I think sometimes when… your mistakes get spotlighted, for whatever reason, then maybe there’s more attention given to it.“But he’s played well. He’s very good at complimenting our best players. That’s an important role when you got really creative offensive players who are forwards, you need to have someone who can help them score.”
If there’s one thing Bouchard has excelled at, it’s helping the Oilers’ best players generate offence. He saw roughly 60 percent of his ice time at five-on-five with Connor McDavid, helping raise all of 97’s shot attempt share, expected goal share, and scoring chance share numbers all by roughly four percent.
When it comes to the actual goal share, McDavid has posted a 36.11 percent goal share away from Bouchard, but when they’re together, that number climbs significantly to a 58.33 percent goal share rate.
But Bowman wasn’t shy to highlight a slow start to the season — not just for Bouchard, but the team as a whole.
“He started slow, like a lot of our guys didn’t start great in October, and whether that was residual from playing a long time last year or getting going when you know how long the season is and you know the grind it is, I don’t know,” said Bowman. “But I think once really from November on, Bouch has done a good job for us.“He’s an important player and I think sometimes he takes too much criticism.”
Bouchard improving other players’ numbers isn’t just for a guy like McDavid, either. Leon Draisaitl, for example, has seen roughly 52 percent of his five-on-five ice time with Bouchard. Similarly, there are increases in shot attempt share, expected goal share, scoring chance share and actual goal share.
Playing with highly skilled players is a skill in and of itself, Bowman said, reinforcing his belief in how good Bouchard is at that.
“I think it’s an overlooked thing, and I think Bouch is really good at that,” he said. “He’s got a ton of patience, he’s got a lot of poise, and I think sometimes that’s what people see is no, he’s not like skating 100 miles an hour and running guys over, so maybe there’s this impression he’s not trying, but he is.“He’s very competitive. I’ve been super impressed getting to know him. He’s a great athlete and a really talented kid. His style is more he plays a more poised, calm game and I think sometimes that’s mistaken for something which it shouldn’t be.”
Bowman will have some tough decisions to make this summer when it comes to the salary cap. Not only will McDavid be eligible for a contract extension, but Bouchard is a pending restricted free agent, needing a fresh contract ahead of next season.
While Bouchard has had some glaring mistakes this season, there’s no denying he’s still one of the top blue-liners in the game. His ability to drive offence is almost second to none, helping the Oilers generate 59.4 expected goals — the most of any defencemen in the league. He’s +12 in terms of goals for vs. goals against at five-on-five, tied for the ninth-highest mark among defencemen.
That doesn’t even account for his work on the power play, as an excellent facilitator with a dangerous shot from the point that somehow still hasn’t found its way into the back of the net with the man advantage this season.
And when you look at Bouchard’s full body of work, there are no defencemen in the league who have a higher raw plus-minus than his +49 — a mark that’s +5 higher than the second-placed Dougie Hamilton, and the third-placed Quinn Hughes.
You can watch the full episode below.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
