Leon Draisaitl Heaps Praise on Evan Bouchard, Makes Big Comparisons

The Edmonton Oilers did it again on Tuesday night: another game giving up four or more goals, down by two heading into the third period, only to storm back and win an overtime thriller over the Ottawa Senators on the backs of their superstars.

Leon Draisaitl was unstoppable, factoring in on all five Oiler goals (two goals, three assists), including Evan Bouchard’s overtime winner, which he blasted by Linus Ullmark to complete the comeback. Draisaitl was undoubtedly the star of the show, but Bouchard played just as important a role, tallying both of his points (one goal, one assist) at the most critical juncture of the game.

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It was a continuation of the tear he’s been on for months now, and when asked about his star defenseman after the game, Draisaitl heaped praise on him, saying that Bouchard’s in the same class as Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes.

Draisaitl said:

“Yeah, I mean, he’s as good as it gets in the league. You know, he’s up there with the Makar’s, the Hughes. He does it his way — it might not be as flashy as those guys, but he gets it done, and he is one of the best defensemen in the league. He has been for a few years now, and obviously this year I think he’s taken another step, which, yeah, is amazing to see,”

The 26-year-old Bouchard is up to 71 points (18 goals, 53 assists) through 62 games this season, the most of any defenseman in the NHL and 12th most among all players regardless of position. He’s in year one of the four-year, $42 million extension signed with the Oilers as an RFA this summer.

While Bouchard isn’t a perfect player and is often criticized for his mistakes or occasionally lackadaisical-looking play, the numbers don’t lie — he’s, as Draisaitl said, among the best defensemen in the game.

His 94-point full-season pace from the blue line is impressive enough. Factor in that he started the season with six straight games without a point, and you realize just how unbelievably productive he’s been ever since.

Some still hesitate to compare him to a Makar, Hughes, or even Zach Werenski or Rasmus Dahlin, given that he plays alongside Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. That’s fair and understandable, but it shouldn’t discredit the season Bouchard is having. Very few defensemen can put up numbers like these from the back end, and his performance is certainly deserving of Norris Trophy consideration.

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