Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch didn’t say how often Evan Bouchard would play on the penalty kill for the team this season, but he did confirm with the media on Friday that Bouchard would “definitely be involved.”
The Oilers are looking for penalty-killers, especially after losing Cody Ceci and Vincent Desharnais from their blue line this summer. Both were solid for the team in that regard and while the Oilers still have Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse, they don’t have other defensemen on the team ready to take a regular role. Brett Kulak played over 73 minutes short-handed, but that’s a far cry from Ekholm’s 160 minutes and Nurse’s 202 minutes.
Way down is Bouchard. He played a total of 26 minutes shorthanded last season. It’s not a role he’s used to and it’s a bit of a risk considering he plays so many minutes as is and is the power play quarterback. Adding another role to his job each night seems like a lot. Not to mention, there is always the risk of an injury when blocking shots.
Why Bouchard and Not Someone Else?
Knoblauch said that the key to being a good penalty killer is being smart and the ability to clear the puck. Bouchard can do both and he doesn’t panic under pressure. Knoblauch said most of the goals on a power play come after the defense fails to clear the puck. Bouchard is as good as anyone about being calm and making the play under intense pressure.
It will be interesting to see how Bouchard takes to it and how much time the Oilers try to put him out there for each game. Bouchard already led the team in ice time per game at 23 minutes last season. If you add any more time to what he’s being given, there’s a good chance of overusing him.
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