One Makar Play Should Change the Narrative on Evan Bouchard

Even though Cale Makar is widely considered the best defenseman in the NHL, he’s catching a lot of flak for his decision to drift back in 3-on-3 overtime, the sequence in which Team Canada lost the gold medal.

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On Sunday, as Team Canada watched Team USA skate around the ice surface at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics in victory, with flags raised, Canadians looked back on where things went wrong. Was it a failed 5-on-3 power play? Was it Nathan MacKinnon missing a wide-open net? Maybe it was Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini each failing to score on breakaways… Still, Makar’s play has become such a talking point. The Colorado Avalanche star wired a perfect wrist shot past Connor Hellebuyck to tie the game but then got lazy in overtime, allowing Jack Hughes to walk in uncontested and score the game and tournament winner.

Makar got jammed up at center ice, then didn’t close hard enough on the backcheck. When the failed offensive play turned the other way, one of the best skaters on the ice “couldn’t” recover in time. The U.S. won 2-1. The tournament was over. And suddenly, fingers began pointing.

Fair or not, that one play sparked debate about defensive reliability — even for someone with Makar’s résumé. It also opened the door to a bigger conversation back home in Edmonton.

Why Was Evan Bouchard Not On Team Canada?

Evan Bouchard didn’t make the Team Canada roster. For all the complaints that Team Canada rolled back the 4 Nations Faceoff corps, and that it might have been a mistake, Bouchard didn’t get heavy consideration. Beyond an outdated and often inaccurate misconception about his defensive game, it was never really clear why.

Despite back-to-back strong seasons and elite offensive production, Bouchard wasn’t really on Team Canada’s radar. The roster included Makar, Devon Toews, Drew Doughty, Thomas Harley, Josh Morrissey, Colton Parayko, and Travis Sanheim — a group that could have easily gone a different direction and made some different choices.

Still, Bouchard’s omission didn’t come as a shocker. For as dynamic as he is with the puck, he’s taken heat for what happens without it. Turnovers. Slow reads. Moments where urgency seems to fade. It’s been a steady drumbeat in Edmonton — and beyond — that while his offensive instincts are top tier, his defensive game can wander. All this despite solid underlying numbers that suggest the truth isn’t nearly as bad as the narrative suggests.

If Makar — widely viewed as the gold standard two-way defenseman — can get caught in a critical moment, does that soften the criticism around Bouchard? Does it remind us that even elite players make mistakes?

Does One Makar Play Change the Narrative on Bouchard?

This is not to suggest that Bouchard should have been on the team over Makar. Frankly, to argue that Bouchard wasn’t the right fit for Team Canada remains fair. And, frankly, Makar’s tournament overall was outstanding. His body of work speaks for itself: Norris Trophy contention, strong defensive metrics, high-end puck movement, calm under pressure.

One overtime sequence doesn’t rewrite that.

At the same time, perhaps it’s time some Oilers fans and Bouchard haters take a breather.

Bouchard remains a lightning rod, but should he? He’s coming off an 82-point season in 2023-24, and another strong campaign in 2024-25 in which he scored 67 points. He’s on pace for 89 points this season, and he continues to drive offense from the back end. His shot is heavy. His vision is underrated. He’s been positive in the plus-minus column since the 2021-22 season (a stat that doesn’t count power play points). When he’s confident, he can control a game. Despite what some want everyone to believe, his game is not overrun by giveaways and high-danger chances against.

Yes, some of that criticism is fair. There are shifts where he drifts. There are plays you want back. But there’s also context. He plays huge minutes. He handles the puck constantly. Risk comes with that territory. In big games, Bouchard is on another level. When you look at his overall impact — especially in the playoffs — there’s a case to be made that he’s more valuable than his harshest critics admit.

So, is it fair to draw a straight line between Makar’s Olympic miscue and Bouchard’s absence from Team Canada?

Not entirely. But the parallel isn’t completely empty, either.

Makar’s lapse was one moment in an otherwise elite tournament and career. His defensive consistency, over the years, still separates him from the rest of the pack. Still, his blunder is a reminder that defense isn’t about perfection. It’s about trends, habits, and recovery. And even the gold standard slips sometimes.

Can Bouchard Change the Narrative and Be on Team Canada’s Radar?

For Bouchard, the path forward is clear. Clean up the unnecessary risks in games that are considered nothing burgers. Tighten the gaps throughout the season, and don’t pick and choose when to be on and when to call it in. Turn those “almost” plays into stops, and those short-pass gambles into crisp outlets with intention. If he does that, his offensive ceiling makes him impossible to ignore, and his defensive game stops being questioned.

If he can do that, he’ll be on Team Canada’s radar in four years.

Makar’s overtime moment doesn’t suddenly validate every criticism of Bouchard, nor does it erase them. What it does is humanize the position. Hockey moves fast. Decisions happen in fractions of a second. Even the best of the best can be exposed.

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