Oilers’ Bouchard Snubbed in Early Norris Trophy Poll

Now he’s picked up exactly where he left off. Through three games, Bouchard has eight points, a plus-six rating and is averaging 25:41 of ice time per game. His offensive production isn’t coming from simply collecting secondary assists on Edmonton’s power play, either. Seven of his eight points have come at even strength. His underlying stats have been equally impressive.

Through Edmonton’s first two games, Bouchard led all NHL defencemen with a plus-29 differential in five-on-five shot attempts, while his 51.7 percent offensive-zone time ranked in the 97th percentile among blueliners. He followed that up with a strong performance against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, despite being held off the scoresheet.

Bouchard logged 27:01 as the Oilers outscored the Kraken 1-0 and held a 12-5 shot advantage with him on the ice. It’s the kind of impact that can be overlooked when Bouchard is judged solely by his point totals or the occasional high-profile turnover.

The Narrative That Bouchard Can’t Defend Needs More Context

Nobody should argue Bouchard is flawless defensively. He makes mistakes, and because of his aggressive puck-moving style, some of those mistakes are glaring. But there’s a difference between saying he occasionally makes costly mistakes and saying he’s a poor defensive player. The numbers don’t support that.

At five-on-five last season, Bouchard’s expected goals against rate was approximately 2.7 per 60 minutes. Makar was also at 2.7, while Werenski was at roughly 2.6. Look at expected-goal share, and the argument becomes even harder to make.

Bouchard’s xGF% actually finished ahead of Makar, Werenski and Hughes. The numbers come from different public datasets, so there are minor methodological differences, but the larger conclusion is difficult to ignore: Bouchard was not being overwhelmed defensively while his peers were locking teams down. That’s particularly important because turnovers are frequently blamed on Bouchard. He had 123 giveaways last season — third-most among NHL defencemen. That sounds terrible until you notice Werenski had 125, two more than Bouchard.

Elite puck-moving defencemen have the puck constantly and attempt difficult plays. That doesn’t excuse mistakes, but turnovers need to be viewed in the context of hundreds of possessions. McDavid recently summarized the issue well: “Everyone loves to comment on the boo boos, but he makes 1,000 great plays.” McDavid specifically pointed to the subtle plays Bouchard makes that don’t appear on the highlight reels.

The ‘McDavid Merchant’ Argument Doesn’t Hold Up Either

The other criticism inevitably attached to Bouchard is that his production is inflated by playing with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Of course it helps. But the same standard should apply to Makar playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon. More importantly, Bouchard’s results don’t collapse when Edmonton’s superstars leave the ice.

During 2025-26, Bouchard played roughly 314 five-on-five minutes without either McDavid or Draisaitl and still controlled approximately 54 percent of expected goals and 53 percent of shot attempts. Edmonton was minus-31 overall in games where its two superstars were unavailable, yet Bouchard was only minus-two in those minutes. There’s also evidence the relationship works both ways.

Last season, McDavid had a 55 percent expected-goal share with Bouchard, but that dropped to approximately 48 percent without him. McDavid had a 59.8 percent xGF with Bouchard at five-on-five compared with 51.8 percent in his minutes away from him. Draisaitl similarly posted a 61.0 percent xGF alongside Bouchard compared with 55.3 percent away. In other words, Bouchard isn’t merely riding shotgun. He’s helping Edmonton’s best players dominate possession.

And Makar benefits from superstar teammates too. Analysis of his 2025-26 season estimated Makar still controlled roughly 56 percent of expected goals without MacKinnon, which is excellent. But that’s exactly the point: playing with an elite forward shouldn’t disqualify either defenceman from receiving credit for his own impact. The argument should be applied consistently.

Edmonton Is Significantly Better With Bouchard on the Ice

Bouchard’s value goes beyond individual production because his puck-moving impacts Edmonton’s entire structure. He retrieves pucks, breaks pressure, stretches opposing defensive formations with long passes and keeps possessions alive at the offensive blue line. The result is that Edmonton spends significantly more time attacking when he’s playing.

Since 2023-24, the Bleacher Report noted, Edmonton had outscored opponents 201-155 at five-on-five with Bouchard on the ice, while controlling 58.5 percent of expected goals. Without him, the Oilers were outscored 259-239 with only a 51.9 percent expected-goal share. That’s defence, too.

Preventing goals isn’t exclusively about blocking shots, clearing the crease or winning battles along the boards. If a defenceman repeatedly exits his own zone cleanly and keeps the puck 180 feet away from his goaltender, he’s preventing offence before a defensive-zone battle ever happens. Bouchard does that at an elite level.

Bouchard Should Be Near the Front of the Norris Conversation

Three games won’t determine the Norris Trophy any more than an NHL.com preseason poll should. Makar, Hughes, Werenski and Dahlin are all legitimate candidates, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify treating Bouchard as a tier below them.

He led every NHL defenceman with 95 points last season. He’s leading the position again with eight through three games. His five-on-five possession numbers compare favourably with the league’s premier defencemen, his defensive results are nowhere near as poor as his reputation suggests, and his numbers remain strong when separated from McDavid and Draisaitl. Even Draisaitl believes Bouchard’s defensive contributions have been overlooked. “He’s special. He’s special on both sides, and that part a lot of people don’t see.”

Bouchard will always have the occasional turnover that becomes an instant social-media clip. Those mistakes are part of the evaluation. They shouldn’t be the entire evaluation. If Bouchard continues producing anywhere near this level while Edmonton controls play with him on the ice, voters may eventually have to abandon the reputation that has followed him and evaluate the player he’s actually become. Because right now, ranking the NHL’s leading defensive scorer seventh in the Norris conversation says more about the narrative surrounding Bouchard than it does about his performance.