When Bouchard entered the NHL, he flourished almost immediately. In his first full season with the Oilers, he racked up 12 goals and 43 points, and two seasons later, he achieved his first point-per-game campaign.

As impressive as Bouchard’s regular-season totals have been, his ability to elevate in the postseason has been the true hallmark of his career. For four consecutive years, he averaged more points per game in the playoffs than in the regular season, and his propensity for coming up with clutch goals helped the Oilers reach two Stanley Cup Finals. His most remarkable run to date was in 2024, when he broke the NHL record for most assists by a defenceman in a single playoff. The previous record was held by former Oiler Paul Coffey, who served as the club’s defensive coach that same season.

Last year, Bouchard’s offensive game reached a new peak, and he became the first defenceman to eclipse 90 points in Edmonton since Coffey in 1986. In many ways, Bouchard is the modern-day Coffey. They’re the two D-men who frequently appear in the Oilers’ record books, yet remain the most polarizing among the fanbase.

One night where fans weren’t polarized, however, was January 24, 2026, when Edmonton took on the Washington Capitals. That evening, Bouchard scored the first hat trick by an Oilers defenceman since 2006. His gorgeous assist on Connor McDavid’s overtime winner gave him a career-high six points on the night, becoming just the third defenceman in franchise history to do so.

Bouchard’s major junior career with the OHL’s London Knights got off to an outstanding start in 2015-16. He hoisted the Memorial Cup as a rookie, recording 17 points in 43 games. After taking significant leaps forward in the years to follow, the Oilers selected him tenth overall at the 2018 Draft.

In his rookie season, Bouchard received a masterclass in being a number-one D-man, spending most of the year partnered with Hall of Famer Duncan Keith. The veteran served as a mentor who helped kick-start his NHL journey.

“After every shift and between periods, he’s always wanting to help me help us as a pair,” said Bouchard back in 2022. “It’s big. On some plays, he’ll look it over [on video] by himself first before talking to me, and then make some comments, and that really helps me grow as a person, and it helps us as a pair.”

Keith retired the following season, and after a sluggish start, the Oilers would make a trade that marked a turning point in Bouchard’s career. They dealt Tyson Barrie and a package of futures for Mattias Ekholm, bumping Bouchard up to the top power play unit, while giving him a steady veteran partner.

“I think he’s our best offensive defenceman by a lot and he makes plays out there,” Ekholm said, after playing alongside Bouchard for nearly a year. “His game is offensive. If he would try to just play it safe all the time, I’m not sure why we would have him out there. He’s supposed to play this way, and he does it really well, so I just try to encourage him because he does things that I can’t do.

“It’s nice to have a partner where we can complement each other.”

It’s been four years since the trade that brought Ekholm to Edmonton, and both he and Bouchard have been staples on the top pair nearly the entire time.