Oilers 2025-26 Report Cards: Evan Bouchard

After a disappointing first-round exit to the Anaheim Ducks, the Edmonton Oilers’ offseason started sooner than expected. While they didn’t get the result they wanted in the playoffs, they’ve played a ton of hockey over the past few seasons. Therefore, a longer summer should be beneficial. They have a chance to rest up and heal any nagging injuries in preparation for next season.

However, before we move forward, let’s reflect on the roller coaster that was the 2025-26 season and hand out player grades, starting with Evan Bouchard.

2025-26 Performance

Bouchard had a fantastic offensive season, recording a career-high 95 points with a plus-25 rating, averaging 24:41 of ice time per game, the highest of his career. He led the NHL in points among defencemen, 14 more than second place. He also set a career high in goals with 21. This was the most points by a defenceman in a season since Erik Karlsson recorded 101 points in 2022-23.

On top of that, he played all 82 games for the second consecutive season. Availability is the best ability, and Bouchard’s durability is a valuable asset. This was his fifth straight season playing over 80 games.

Despite this elite campaign, Bouchard was still snubbed from the Canadian Olympic team. Looking back, Team Canada could’ve certainly used another elite offensive defenceman. The 26-year-old has incredible vision and makes subtle plays that often go unnoticed. He is an elite number-one defenceman in this league, but he’s still unappreciated by the fans and the media. That leads us to the next point.

He Wasn’t a Norris Trophy Finalist

Bouchard continues to be disrespected. The NHL announced its Norris Trophy finalists on Thursday (May 7), and he wasn’t among them. The finalists were Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, and Rasmus Dahlin. The Oilers’ blueliner got snubbed once again, like he was for the Olympic team. The narrative surrounding Bouchard is that he isn’t good defensively, but that’s not the case. He has significantly improved defensively, and it’s about time people started realizing that.

The last time the leading scorer among defencemen wasn’t nominated for the Norris Trophy was Tyson Barrie in the shortened 2020-21 season. Ironically enough, he was also an Oiler. Bouchard became the second defenceman in the salary cap era to win the defenceman scoring race by more than 10 points and not be nominated for the award. The other was Karlsson in 2013-14.

Karlsson isn’t known for his defensive prowess, but he still won three Norris Trophies. When he won that award after his 101-point campaign in 2022-23, he still had a putrid minus-26. So, what does Bouchard have to do to get recognized? He did everything he could, but that still wasn’t enough.