Edmonton Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard’s shot looks like it’s in midseason form with the way he walked in and used his pin-point accurate release to beat Vancouver Canucks’ goaltender Arturs Silovs in the final preseason game on Oct. 4.

Last season, the Oilers’ D-man exploded with 114 points in 106 games, including the regular season and playoffs, finishing 5th in Norris Trophy voting. After establishing himself as one of the league’s top blueliners, expectations are high for the 24-year-old heading into the upcoming campaign. With that in mind, let’s explore what a successful 2024-25 looks like for Bouchard.

Bouchard is in the final season of his two-year deal at $3.9 million annually and is set for a massive raise when he inks a new contract with Edmonton and building on his offensive momentum is crucial for the Oilers’ soon-to-be highest-paid D-man moving forward.

The Oakville, ON native put up a career-best 82 points last season, including 27 on the power play. He set the bar high, so for this season to be seen as a major success for the blueliner, he’ll need to push that point total even higher. So, how might he do that? One way is simply shooting more, especially on the power play.

The Oilers power play finished fourth in the league last season, clicking at 26.3%, whereas the season prior, they set an NHL record with a 32.4% conversion rate. While it’s tough to critique their number one PP unit because they’ve been lights out, the stats show they’ve been better and Bouchard can help the unit improve by using his cannon from the point more frequently. Plain and simple—the more he shoots, the better the chances of scoring and more rebounds will be up for grabs.

What was impressive last season, by the eye test, was the increase in how many of his shots were getting through compared to earlier in his career. In the past, opponents would easily read his shot attempts, leading to many of his shots blocked. But last season, we saw his growth as a player—he’d fake shots, toe drag at the blue line, and was overall patient, waiting for seams to open. He learned to unleash his shot more effectively, lighting the lamp 24 times in total, including both the regular season and playoffs.

Two seasons ago, Bouchard registered 156 shots on goal, which climbed to 220 last season, giving him an average of 2.71 shots per game. The Nashville Predators’ Roman Josi led all blueliners last season with 268 shots (3.26 per game), and it’s reasonable to think that with the confidence he gained last season, Bouchard has a chance to contend for the top spot in shots among D-men this season, which should result in an uptick in points.

That said, since Bouchard racked up 82 points last season, it’s a luxury to say that an 85-90-point season should be viewed as a success for the Oilers’ rearguard, considering how high he’s set the standard for himself. Additionally, as Zach Laing posed the question, how soon can the 24-year-old hit the 100-point mark? This season is not out of the question.

A successful season for the Oilers’ blueliner is about making the jump to being a more complete D-man on a consistent basis. If we focus solely on plus/minus from last season, Bouchard shines like a star, finishing fourth on the team with a solid +34 rating. Yet, raise your hand if you felt your blood boil over Bouchard’s defensive lapses. Alright.. now put your hand back down.

Sure, he does turn over the puck, like in Game 5 against the Vancouver Canucks last playoffs when a turnover in front of the Oilers’ net, led to the tying goal. Yet, it’s tough to dwell on those mistakes, because for every six or seven stellar offensive plays, there’s just that occasional turnover and those are bound to happen when you’re pushing to make plays. Should he cut down on those errors and aim to be a completely mistake-free player? Absolutely! Is that realistic? Probably not.

However, an area that I think could turn him into a more complete D-man is something I discussed before last playoffs—breaking out of his comfort zone and not shying away from physicality and being tough in front of his net while continuing to be a scoring machine. Additionally, last season, an article from The Athletic featured an anonymous NHL executive who revealed a strategy for shutting down the Oilers. He suggested dumping the puck into Bouchard’s corner, claiming that “Bouchard won’t retrieve the puck in the corners.”

What the anonymous NHL exec was hinting at is that there are moments when Bouchard doesn’t fully commit physically and that comment from last season was probably made after he backed off in board battles against Nathan MacKinnon and Auston Matthews in two separate games, that resulted in goals against.

Yet, Bouchard somewhat flipped that narrative of shying away from physicality with his performance last playoffs. He stepped up physically in board battles and in front of the net, refusing to back down from bigger players like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Carson Soucy of the Vancouver Canucks and threw 28 hits in 25 playoff games. That said, when he plays with that fire in his eyes, he’s much more engaged overall, keeps his head on a swivel, has an active stick and pays attention to detail in the defensive zone. Moreover, he needs to do those things this season night in and night out.

The Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal for the Oilers this season, and to some degree, the team’s playoff success might be tied to how far Bouchard can lead them from the blue line.
Last postseason, he flat-out dominated, leading all D-men with 32 points and topping the entire league in plus/minus at +14. Also, his 26 assists set a record for the most assists by a rearguard in a single playoff run, and out of his six goals, three were clutch game-winners.

Additionally, a study from 2014 found that NHL D-men don’t hit their prime until they’re 29 years old. With Bouchard set to turn 25 in October, we may have only witnessed a glimpse of what’s to come, and his playoff magic may only get better. That said, true success for him this season will be about cranking it up a notch or two and taking his game even higher in the playoffs.

With that in mind, what does a successful season look like for Bouchard in your opinion?

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