Evan Bouchard has gone from being debated to being impossible to ignore.
The Edmonton Oilers defenseman is putting up video-game numbers through four games, and the production is landing him in a conversation that goes well beyond the usual Norris Trophy chatter. He leads the NHL with six goals and sits second in points with 11, trailing only Connor McDavid’s 12. Only one other defenseman has scored that many goals through his first four games of a season: Harry Cameron, in the league’s first year.
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic didn’t exactly soften the point. “However good you think Evan Bouchard is, he’s better. Way better if you don’t think he’s awesome, and better even if you do.”
The on-ice impact has been just as loud as the box-score line. Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast that the Oilers are outscoring opponents 11-1 at five-on-five with Bouchard on the ice.
He also passed along a text from someone who skipped the Norris conversation altogether and jumped straight to the Rocket Richard Trophy. “I was just laughing,” Friedman said.
“The thing about this, though, is: how is this guy not going to get 100 points this year?”
Wheeler went even further, calling Bouchard “the best player in the NHL through four games this year.” He backed that up with the numbers: shots are 41-19 with Bouchard on the ice at 5-on-5, scoring chances are 42-11, goals are 11-1, and expected goals are 4.0-1.4.
What’s happening now isn’t just about a hot start. It’s about a player who’s being asked to keep climbing.
After Bouchard scored two goals and added an assist against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, Mike Babcock said he has been pushing the defenseman to reach another level. “I didn’t know he was this good, this talented, saw this many plays, moved the puck as good as he does,” said Babcock.
“In saying that, I’ve talked a lot to Bouch about it. Bouch can be way better.
He’s got a growth opportunity here. There’s no question he should be in the running for the Norris every year; he’s that good, and we’ve just got to get him to be a little more competitive defensively; he’s already working towards that.
And then he’ll be right at the front of that group.”
Bouchard said Babcock’s push has helped. He credited the work on details and effort, adding, “I think it’s working for the team,” the defenseman said.
Leon Draisaitl wasn’t surprised by the latest wave of Bouchard hype, even if he found the broader league perception a little odd. After the Ducks win, he laughed off the way people still talk about Bouchard’s game and praised how often he makes the correct decision.
“He just makes the right play nearly every time. His poise with the puck is second to none.
It’s pretty funny how he’s viewed around the league, but people can continue to see him that way, and we’ll gladly have him on the ice.”
And then there’s the trade that never happened.
Not long ago, the Oilers were pursuing Mikko Rantanen in a deal. Colorado had moved Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, Carolina wanted to flip him, and Edmonton was in the mix while the Hurricanes were interested in Bouchard.
In the end, the Oilers chose not to part with Bouchard. Rantanen was eventually traded to the Dallas Stars.
For Edmonton, that’s a decision looking better by the day.
In Other News...
Evan Bouchard Is Forcing A Big Oilers Debate Early
Evan Bouchard has wasted no time putting himself at the center of the Oilers early-season conversation. Through four games, the defenseman has six goals and 11 points, leading all blueliners in scoring and sitting second on the team in points behind Connor McDavid. He has also been logging a heavy workload while helping drive Edmontons offense, another sign of how much the Oilers are leaning on him right now.
The numbers have been impossible to ignore, and they have naturally reopened a familiar debate around Bouchards game. His offensive impact is obvious, but his defensive play remains the part of the conversation that keeps the Norris Trophy discussion from becoming straightforward. For Edmonton, the question is less about whether he has been one of the NHLs most productive defensemen so far and more about how far that production can carry him if the rest of the profile does not fully match. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers May Have Found More Than Depth In This Trade
The Oilers latest swap with Pittsburgh was framed as a depth move on paper, with Spencer Stastney going the other way and Filip Hallander coming back to Edmonton. But the more interesting part of the deal is what Hallander brings beyond simple roster insulation. He is a younger center who has done most of his growing up in the Swedish Hockey League, where his play has stood out enough to earn international attention, and he arrives with a profile that suggests there may be more here than a routine bottom-six addition.
Hallander has also given Edmonton a small but encouraging offensive glimpse in limited NHL usage this season, which only adds to the intrigue around how the Oilers might use him while injuries continue to test their forward depth. Stastneys metrics were solid but unspectacular, so the trade could end up being judged less by what Edmonton gave up than by whether Hallander can translate his strong track record into a larger role. For a team that needs reliable minutes now, the possibility of uncovering a useful center along the way makes the deal worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Devon Levi Is Giving The Oilers A Real Starter Debate
With Frederik Andersen sidelined, the Oilers have leaned on a goaltending tandem of Devon Levi and Tristan Jarry, and the early returns have made the crease look a lot less settled than it did a few weeks ago. Levi has started three games and has given Edmonton a steady enough presence to keep winning, while Jarry has only had one chance to answer and was left with an overtime loss.
The bigger takeaway for Edmonton is that Levi is quickly turning a short-term necessity into a real conversation about the future. General manager Stan Bowman brought him in from Buffalo with an eye on upside, and the Oilers have reason to like what they are seeing so far, especially with Andersen unavailable and the backup plan still taking shape behind him. [Read more 🡒]