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Not Top-Five? Evan Bouchard Overlooked in Best Defenseman Talks

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Jackson Weber | Last updated Mar 10, 2026 3:20 PM ET

Evan Bouchard is one of the best defensemen in the world, though he still doesn’t seem to get the respect he deserves—at least outside of Edmonton.

The Oilers’ star defenseman leads the league in points at his position, has produced point-per-game numbers over the last three straight seasons, and has elevated his game to a whole different level come playoff time. Despite all of that, when Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman was running through his top five defensemen in the NHL during a recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Bouchard wasn’t even mentioned on the long list of names in contention.

Friedman said:

“I was thinking about Dahlin— is he a top-five defenseman in the league now? My four, my Mount Rushmore right now in the NHL: Hughes, Makar, Werenski, Heiskanen. Those are my guys. So, who are you putting five ahead of Dahlin? Those four at the top, the Mount Rushmore of current NHL defensemen, they’ve done it for years. I think McAvoy, Sanderson—he’s rising too, but McAvoy I think is a great call, he’s right there. I think Josh Morrissey is a guy who does not get enough love and deserves to be seen right there. Hedman, great player for a long time, right there. Forsling, pick whichever Florida guy you want, but you know, Rasmus may be five right now, he may be five,”

The 26-year-old Bouchard is in the midst of a career-best season, as mentioned, currently leading the NHL in scoring among defensemen with 73 points (18 goals, 55 assists) through 64 games played. His 94-point full-season pace would mark the second most productive of any active blueliner behind only Roman Josi (96 points, 2021-22) and Erik Karlsson (101 points, 2022-23).

Friedman easily – and likely – just forgot about Bouchard, but at the same time, many around the hockey world tend to disregard him because of his defensive game and occasional glaring mistakes that make highlight reels for the wrong reasons.

Those who understand, however, that Bouchard brings far more good than bad—and that his strengths match up with any defenseman in the game—know he has cemented himself in a class with those upper echelon names , just as Leon Draisaitl recently noted.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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