There are few things in the National Hockey League that draws the ire of so many quite like an offensive defenceman. Some of the most divisive players within fandoms are their team's top pairing puck mover but in many cases, these are the most valuable assets on the backend.
For the Edmonton Oilers, that is Evan Bouchard to a tee. He is a lightning rod for criticism despite being a star and the best defenceman that has graced an Oilers jersey probably since Chris Pronger nearly 20 years ago.
That is why, Bouchard deserves a chance to be on Team Canada at the upcoming 2026 Olympic games, even if it is just as a seventh defender. His invitation to the Canadian orientation camp shows they believe so too.
Evan Bouchard deserves to be on Team Canada
The most recent debate surrounding Bouchard being an Olympian was sparked by Sportsnet analyst, Justin Bourne who posted on X his support for the cause.
Alright I'm ready to do it: Evan Bouchard should be on Canada's Olympic team. Big game talent with an undeniable set of tools. Yes, he does some whoopsies sometimes. But he's been great in big spots in his career.
— Justin Bourne (@jtbourne) November 18, 2025
PP2, 5v5, chasing a game, there's spots you'd love to have him.
Bourne sums up the scouting report on Bouchard quite well stating "Evan Bouchard should be on Canada's Olympic team. Big game talent with an undeniable set of tools. Yes, he does some whoopsies sometimes. But he's been great in big spots in his career."
Of course, to many the "whoopsies" are what dominate the narrative surrounding his game, even despite the years of high end offensive production and play driving to negate that. There are examples of puck moving defenders whose defensive woes are so grand that it basically zeroes out all the good but that is not the case with Bouchard.
Many people say that Bouchard's defensive deficiencies are covered up by his partner, Mattias Ekholm. However, using the naturalstattrick.com line tools, you can see how players play with and without each other. In isolation, Bouchard's corsi against and expected goals against numbers are fine and in fact better than Ekholm's away from him.
Bouchard w/ Ekholm - CA/60: 48.05 xGA/60: 2.35
Bouchard w/o Ekholm - CA/60: 50.24 xGA/60: 2.42
Ekholm w/o Bouchard - CA/60: 51.07 xGA/60: 2.50
Although corsi and expected goals are not the end all, be all, it illustrates that Bouchard's defensive value is similar whether paired with Ekholm or not. It shows that he on his own is a fine defenceman defensively. Even despite his flaws and mistakes.
Bouchard is one of the NHL's best defencemen
It is tough to deny, even from his harshest critics that Bouchard is an elite offensive defenceman but he is one of the best defencemen in the NHL.
Over the past three seasons, he ranks fifth amongst all defencemen at 5-on-5 in total points with 79. Putting him behind Zach Werenski, Cale Makar, Josh Morrissey, and Quinn Hughes with Werenski being the top at 98 points, less than 20 points ahead. At all situations, Bouchard is third over the past three seasons, having scored 166 points behind Cale Makar (207) and Quinn Hughes (188).
Looking a little deeper, he is second in the entire league amongst all defencemen over this same span in terms of xGF% behind only his partner, Ekholm and is fifth in terms of CF% (evolving-hockey.com). This shows the sheer dominance of Bouchard at both ends of the ice and shows how much the scales are tipped when he steps onto the ice.
He is not only capable of racking up points at even strength and on the powerplay but is also able to drive offence and suppress the opponents even when he is away from Ekholm. He is at least deserving of an extra attacker role for Canada if not in their starting rotation.