Edmonton Oilers’ Evan Bouchard Deserves Greater Appreciation – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

As a neutral fan, the coverage I see of the Edmonton Oilers‘ Evan Bouchard has always confused me. An elite defenceman by every metric, he’s criticized more than perhaps any other star player in the sport. So, I watched him play a few games to see what the fuss was about.

Bouchard critics be warned, I’m sticking to my guns. In fact, I only appreciate him more after my mini-investigation. Frustrations with his frequent giveaways are valid. However, this is a superstar player whose impact on the Oilers is constantly understated. Here are my takeaways.

Bouchard’s Retrievals & Zone Exits

One noticeable yet overlooked strength for Bouchard is his ability to get the puck in the defensive zone and smoothly move it up to a teammate for a counterattack. This aspect of his game doesn’t get praised as much as it should—it’s a big part of what makes him special.

Related: 5 Takeaways From Oilers’ Disappointing 4-3 Loss to Maple Leafs

On a team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, your responsibility is to get them the puck. Bouchard is the Oilers’ best player at accomplishing this. It’s subtle and easy to miss, so it’s often taken for granted. But it’s helping drive his elite results.

Plays like the one above explain why the Oilers’ superstars are at their best when Bouchard is on the ice. At 5-on-5 over the past three seasons, you may notice a difference in McDavid’s numbers when he’s with the star blueliner versus without him:

Stat; 5-on-5 McDavid with Bouchard McDavid without Bouchard
Goal Share (GF%) 62.07% 52.40%
Expected Goal Share (xGF%) 62.24% 57.22%
Shot Attempt Share (CF%) 60.61% 53.87%

In a sample size of over 1,000 minutes in each situation, the results are clear. When sharing the ice at 5-on-5, McDavid and Bouchard have outscored their foes 126-77. When only McDavid is out there, the same jaw-dropping results haven’t come—the Oilers have scored 87 goals and allowed 80.

We see almost identical numbers with Draisaitl:

Stat; 5-on-5 Draisaitl with Bouchard Draisaitl without Bouchard
Goal Share (GF%) 63.45% 52.24%
Expected Goal Share (xGF%) 60.22% 54.36%
Shot Attempt Share (CF%) 59.55% 52.38%

Draisaitl and Bouchard have combined for 92 goals scored and 53 goals allowed when playing at 5-on-5 with one another since 2022-23. When Draisaitl is alone, he’s scored 108 and allowed 96.

This isn’t the case just because Bouchard is a talented offensive-zone player. It’s his ability to get the puck up the ice, effectively starting breakouts for his top scorers. He is one of the best defencemen in the world at this skill. However, it’s something that I routinely see being ignored. Like McDavid’s speed or Draisaitl’s passing, Bouchard’s space creation is an essential pillar to success in Oil Country.

Bouchard Is a Ceiling-Raiser

Over the past two seasons, Bouchard is third in regular-season scoring among defencemen. He takes calculated risks to get there, which works perfectly on a contender like the Oilers—he’s a ceiling-raiser. McDavid and Draisaitl are enjoying that to the tune of over 62% goal shares at 5-on-5 apiece, making two of the deadliest players in hockey even deadlier. That’s not an accomplishment to be taken lightly.

Evan Bouchard Edmonton Oilers Celebration
Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

For starters, Bouchard is a superstar passer. His aggressiveness in that department, while it can lead to a loss of possession, does more good than bad. He’s allowed to look for the perfect play because it’s in his arsenal to make it. Not all defencemen have that luxury—you have to let him do his own thing, or else you risk losing the upside.

On top of being one of the best passers in the NHL, he’s a dangerous shooter, too. Per NHL Edge, he’s in the 98th percentile for average shot speed, clocking in at 77.20 miles per hour. Now, point shots are some of the most inefficient in the sport—they’re low-percentage looks and don’t generate rebounds at nearly the rate we perceive. But Bouchard can get a bit of a pass here. At even strength, he possesses the puck in the offensive zone at a 47.7% clip (98th percentile)—with those possession metrics, he can take as many “low-percentage looks” as his heart desires.

Since Bouchard has the right players around him, his offensive game is being maximized. That kind of thing might not work as well on a low-talent team—he’d have to restrict himself a bit. The Oilers, however, are a terrific environment for this style. Their forwards don’t let the rush chances, high-danger passes, or other key looks he creates go to waste. Thus, the more he makes, the better.

Bouchard’s Turnover-Happiness Offset by Strengths

A genuine weak point of Bouchard’s game is his tendency to turn the puck over. It shows in his film. Yes, he can be rather careless with the puck, even if it’s more justified for a 99th-percentile passer. Just to put it in perspective, though, here’s his assist-to-giveaway ratio over the past three seasons compared to other regular NHL defencemen:

Evan Bouchard Edmonton Oilers Assists Versus Giveaways
Evan Bouchard’s assist versus giveaway totals at 5-on-5 since 2022-23 (The Hockey Writers)

Assists aren’t the best metric to compare giveaways to, but with that said, he’s right at the trend line in that department. Still, I won’t go against the grain here and argue he doesn’t turn the puck over a lot. He does. However, his strengths as a player make these giveaways negligible in my eyes. They don’t bother me.

Again, if McDavid and Draisaitl outscore the opposition at above a 62% rate with you and below a 53% rate without you over a three-season span, you’re doing something right. That fact alone makes the giveaways not worth getting riled up about. As I stated before, they’re calculated risks—the more he tests his luck, the better it is going to be for Edmonton.

I don’t think Bouchard deserves all the criticism he receives, even if I can understand where people are coming from. His impact is subtle—you’ll miss it if you blink. Still, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Just 25 years old, he’s got a bright future in the NHL. As long as he’s an Oiler, the team will, too.

Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick

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