Bleacher Report’s hockey brand Open Ice, recently released a list for all 32 teams, naming their top defenseman and then ranking them in order league wide. There was interesting placements but overall, it was well justified by the writer, Adam Gretz.
The choice for the Edmonton Oilers to nobody’s surprise was right-handed, offensive defenseman Evan Bouchard. Amongst all blueliners in the league, this list placed him sixth, with only; Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Josh Morrissey, and Miro Heiskanen ahead of him. It also placed Bouchard ahead of names such as; Adam Fox, Victor Hedman, and Rasmus Dahlin.
This is just another notch in what has been a good summer for Bouchard. Less than two months ago, general manager Stan Bowman and the team rewarded him for his strong play and locked him up to a four-year contract that pays him $10.5 million annually. It showed a big financial commitment to the defenseman, making him one of the league's highest paid players. Bouchard was one of four Oilers that were named to Team Canada's Men's orientation camp ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics
Bouchard is one of the league's best defenseman
Since entering the league as a permanent fixture on the Oilers blueline in the 2021-22 season, Bouchard has established himself as one of the best defenders in the NHL. The past two seasons in specific have shown how highly regarded he is across the entire league, earning Norris Trophy votes as one of the best defensemen.
In 2023-24, Bouchard finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting after scoring an impressive 18 goals and 64 assists for 82 points in 81 regular season games with the Oilers. In the playoffs he was even more outstanding, scoring 32 points (six goals and 26 assists) in 25 games on the way to a Stanley Cup finals berth.
Although his stats this year did not reach the same heights, he was nevertheless impressive netting 67 points (14 goals, 53 assists) in 82 games during the regular season and seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points in 22 playoff games. He was once again a vital piece for the Oilers as they made a second straight Stanley Cup finals run.
Despite the flack that Bouchard receives — which is unfortunately all too common with offensively-minded defensemen. Maintaining his high level of production in back-to-back years across the regular season and postseason has further cemented himself amongst the elite class of blueliners in the NHL.
He has shown a level of dominance that has not been seen in a defenseman in an Oilers jersey in a long time and possibly ever. Being included this high on this list as well as the recent placement of 10th on a Top 20 defensemen list by NHL Network, it is nice to see the league as a whole catch on at just how special Bouchard is. Whether you like it or not, Evan Bouchard is one of the best defensemen in the entire league.