The NHL’s Most Disrespected Star: Why Evan Bouchard Deserves Better

Evan Bouchard is a fantastic NHL defenceman. Over the past few seasons, he has rounded out his game in Edmonton, ironing out many of the defensive issues that followed him early in his career. The arrival of Mattias Ekholm accelerated that growth, giving the Oilers one of the best defensive pairings in the league and helping Bouchard evolve into a complete, top‑tier blueliner.

So why does he still draw so much criticism?

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Rival fans and media love pointing out his defensive flaws. You can find lowlight reels of Bouchard turning a puck over that ends up in the net — but that’s true of every defenceman. Cale Makar might be the worst offender for these clips, yet nobody ever talks about how shaky he can be defensively. Any elite player who handles the puck constantly is going to make mistakes. That’s inevitable. And unlike other teams, the Oilers haven’t exactly had goaltending capable of erasing those mistakes, something they hope is finally addressed this season.

The Norris Trophy Snub

Last season, Bouchard put up a staggering 95 points in 82 games, finished +25, and averaged 24:41 per night. He’s arguably the best power‑play quarterback in the NHL, driving one of the most dominant power plays the league has seen in years. He was also Edmonton’s top penalty‑killing defenceman, finishing sixth in the NHL in PK ice time with 2023:34.

The media love to say a Norris winner must be defensively sound and play in all situations. Yet eventual Norris winner Zach Werenski finished with 14 fewer points, was only +7, and played less on the penalty kill (1996:04). Werenski also struggled badly down the stretch when Columbus needed him most. The Blue Jackets collapsed, losing eight of their final ten games, and Werenski posted four points and a -5 in that span.

But somehow, Bouchard is the one who gets hammered for defensive play.

The McDavid/Draisaitl Argument — And Why It Falls Apart

A common argument is that Bouchard’s numbers are inflated because he plays with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Sure — they’re two of the best players alive. But what never gets mentioned is that their underlying numbers get significantly worse when they’re not playing with Bouchard.

If that logic applied consistently, Cale Makar should face the same criticism for playing with Nathan MacKinnon and Colorado’s stacked roster. Instead, the opposite is true: Colorado’s numbers get better when they’re away from Makar, and Makar’s numbers drop when he’s away from MacKinnon.

The hypocrisy is baffling.

Higher Than 10th Best?

The Oilers are always heavily scrutinized, and a rough start sends narratives flying. Bouchard himself admitted he wasn’t great in October and parts of November last season — but the Norris has never been awarded based on a single month. Yet that early stretch somehow became the defining talking point for many analysts.

He became the first defenceman in NHL history to lead the league in scoring at his position and not be nominated in the top three for the Norris. He finished fourth, in a league that watched Erik Karlsson win Norris trophies based on points alone.

Last season, NHL Network ranked Bouchard 10th on their annual Top 10 Defencemen list. After a career year where he demolished the league and led the Oilers in nearly every defensive category, you’d expect him to climb.

Wrong. He stayed at number 10 — another baffling indictment of how misunderstood he is.

Bouchard isn’t the best defensive defenceman in the league, and he’d likely agree. But he’s far better defensively than he’s given credit for. Many fans simply don’t watch the Oilers due to late start times, and a quick Google search would clear up the misconception that he doesn’t penalty kill — something people still somehow believe.

Playoff Dominance

Players are often judged by playoff performance. Can they elevate when the games get hardest? Players are usually elevated in “best” lists when they can dominate at the most crucial time of the year.

Bouchard is obliterating the league in this category, and yet this didn’t move the needle for Bouchard.

Since 2022, he leads all NHL defencemen in playoff points by 41. He has 79 playoff points, with the next closest being Miro Heiskanen at 38. Yes, the Oilers have played the most playoff games in that span (81), but Bouchard is nearly a point‑per‑game — unheard of for a defenceman.

The Misunderstanding of Evan Bouchard

Bouchard may never win a Norris, and he may never get the league‑wide respect he deserves. But the narrative around him needs to disappear, especially among Oilers fans. He takes far too much heat in Edmonton and deserves far more leeway.

Edmonton is incredibly lucky to have a player of Bouchard’s calibre, especially at a time when they already have two generational weapons up front in McDavid and Draisaitl. The Oilers have been searching for an offensive defenceman with this level of talent since Paul Coffey. That shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Will Bouchard ever get the respect he deserves? Hard to say. But he certainly deserves it — and at some point, the league is going to have to catch up to what the numbers, the eye test, and the playoffs have already made obvious.

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