Edmonon Oilers star blueliner, Evan Bouchard is playing some of the best hockey of his career. He leads all defencemen in points, sits second in assists and 4th in goals. He hasn't been a minus player since his rookie year and he's been a key part of two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals runs, even if his team has fallen just short of the victory. Still, it seems that he's never the name anyone mentions in discussions about the best defenceman in the National Hockey League.
It's an unfair reality for those playing alongside the best player in a generation. Leon Draisaitl rarely gets full credit for his elite skill level and accomplishments, and Bouchard appears to be in a similar boat. But comparing his abilities and statistics against Cale Makar, who also plays with a generational talent, one can't help but wonder if the filter is applied evenly across the league.
Is Evan Bouchard better than Cale Makar?
Statistically, Bouchard has a slight lead over Cale Makar, ahead in both points and assists but tied in Goals Scored. A more in-depth analysis show that, this season, Bouchard is a better finisher, with more goals scored in half the number of High Danger opportunities. Their time on ice per game is virtually identical and Bouchard has played 30 fewer powerplay minutes.
Makar has the edge in skating ability while Bouchard has the harder, and more accurate, shot. Both players anchor elite powerplay units and should be the beneficiary of approximately the same "bump" that comes from playing with superstars. Moving to advanced metrics, Bouchard is better this year, in both relative Corsi and Fenwick, and has been better the past three seasons as well.
There are plenty of good NHL defencemen
Names like Zach Werenski and Quinn Hughes matter too in these conversations, but when comparing everything other than team results, Bouchard looks to be having a better year than Makar, who is consistently ranked as the number one Norris contender, and yet he somehow isn't the number two or three favorite on most lists out there. There is a narrative that Bouchard leaks chances against, but it isn't showing up that way in the numbers.
Bouchard has scored timely goals and his offense hasn't come at the expense of chances and goals against this season. Hockey fans often note when an offensive dman is caught out of position, because, when an unfortunate giveaway does occur, that player is usually headed in the wrong direction.
He's not the only one ever caught out either. A prime example of this sort of mistake is the gold medal goal at the Olympics. Makar's unsuccessful pinch led to the odd man rush that ended things for Canada, but a successful one would have seen McDavid in alone, and a potentially very different outcome.