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Kris Knoblauch Has One Demand From Evan Bouchard After Loss to Rangers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Oct 31, 2025 10:17 AM ET

The Edmonton Oilers’ 4–3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday again spotlighted Evan Bouchard’s defensive struggles and prompted another sharp response from head coach Kris Knoblauch.

Two of Bouchard’s turnovers directly led to Rangers goals, while a misread play contributed to the Oilers' loss.

An errant cross-ice pass at the blue line gifted Jonny Brodzinski a breakaway for the game’s first goal.
A failed clearing attempt in the third period allowed Conor Sheary to set up Taylor Raddysh’s game-tying goal.
Bouchard was also partially at fault for J.T. Miller’s overtime winner.

Knoblauch didn't mince words when addressing Bouchard's performance on Thursday, one that added to a worrying mistake-prone trend for the blueliner this season.

"We were playing a little too relaxed."

Coach Knoblauch addresses the media following the #Oilers OT defeat to the Rangers.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/tGKpypNt2b
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 31, 2025

“With Evan, sometimes your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness,” Knoblauch said. “You have a great talent for making passes and feeling confident that you can do that, but when it’s not working, it’s costing with chances against."

Knoblauch said he was “disappointed” in how the team handled the defensive coverage on the winning goal and warned that repeated mistakes would not be tolerated.

At the end of the day, Knoblauch had one demand for Bouchard and the rest of his players: accountability.

“There’s a line on mistakes that periodically happen, because no player’s going to play a perfect game,” Knoblauch said. “But if there’s an accumulation of mistakes that are costing us regularly, then we need to hold everyone accountable.”

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch looks on from the bench.Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Bouchard, who finished minus-3 in 22:34 minutes of ice time, admitted his play has been inconsistent of late.

“When one turnover happens, you’ve got to not let it turn into two or three in a row,” Bouchard said. “Playing harder is definitely going to have to be something that I do.”

The Oilers, now 5–4–3, have been outscored 11–5 with Bouchard on the ice at even strength. Edmonton will face the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, with puck drop set for 10 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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