Oilers Defenceman Evan Bouchard on Pace to Break Undesirable NHL Record

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Liam McCormick
November 8, 2024 (9:54 PM)

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Evan Bouchard is coming off his career best season in which he surpassed the 100 point threshold, but this year, he's not getting the same results.

Last year he was able to score 18 goals with his patented Bouch Bomb slap shot, but this season, none of those pucks are getting through. Bouchard is currently leading the NHL in most shots blocked by defenceman, and is on pace to surpass the record by far.

The Oilers should be encouraging Bouchard to shoot because he has a history of success with the shot, but when it's going directly into a defenders shin pad, it causes turnovers that hurt the team. Bouchard needs to make better decisions of when to shoot, and move to positions to get the puck through to the net.

Bouchard's offensive talent has always been his best ability as a player, which makes up for his lesser results in his own zone as well. When he's not producing offensively as well, the defensive lapses look so much worse. A few times in recent games Bouchard has been caught fully flat footed, earning some hard criticism from fans and media.

At the end of this season, Bouchard will be a restricted free agent and is only one season away from being unrestricted. On a long term contract, it's reported Bouchard is seeking $10-11M in salary. The Oilers better make sure that he's worth that high of a salary, or if his stats may just be inflated from playing with McDavid on a historic power play.

Tomorrow night against their rival Vancouver Canucks, the Oilers are still looking for a big win they can build upon, and some consistency to string a number of wins together. Hopefully, it starts tomorrow.