After a slow first month of the season, the Edmonton Oilers are once again figuring things out, but the Pacific Division is tougher than ever. The Vegas Golden Knights are back to full force, the Calgary Flames have shocked all of us, the LA Kings are playing good hockey, and the Vancouver Canucks may be the scrappiest bunch in the league.
That said, every layer for the Oilers needs to hold their weight. While that’s been the case for some, like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the opposite has been the case for quite a few others, some of which have made for rather unpleasant surprises.
Others have just gotten off to slower starts, and that’s been the case for defenseman Evan Bouchard. One of the league’s most productive blueliners last season, Bouchard only has 20 points in 26 games this year, a low number for him after he put up 82 in 2023-24.
The good news? We’ve seen Bouchard putting together much more inspiring play lately, and he’s enjoyed a surge in productivity. How good has Bouchard been? Between November 23rd and December 5th, he’s given the Oilers a sound seven points, one goal, and six assists.
Evan Bouchard’s production has surged for the Edmonton Oilers
Before he put up seven points in five contests, Bouchard had a modest 13 points in 21 games, putting him on track to finish with something between 50 and 51 on the year. Again, for many defensemen, these would be outstanding numbers, but they aren’t what we’ve come to expect out of Bouchard.
Fast-forward to today, and his 20 points in 26 games have him on pace for between 63 and 64. Yeah, that’s a 13 to 14-point difference from roughly two weeks ago. Should the Oilers keep figuring out their game with Bouchard playing at such a high level, this team will be red-hot again real fast.
He’s also showing more endurance this season, with an all-time high in average total ice time at 23:48, plus 44 blocks and 19 takeaways. These numbers make Bouchard among the more complete players on the team and arguably the most complete defenseman.
It’s no question that, when Bouchard gets on the board, the Oilers are that much more successful. The one game they lost in that five-game stretch from the 23rd until the 5th occurred in a shutout loss to the Golden Knights, the one time when Bouchard, obviously, was left off the stat sheet.