It took just four games into the 2025-2026 season for many to start tearing apart Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard. The 25-year-old had a terrible outing against the New York Islanders on Thursday night, culminating in a win an ugly giveaway in the first period. As the last man back, he tried to get past Mat Barzal, who stripped him and scored on a breakaway to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.
Bouchard also had several other ugly turnovers in the game. Afterwards, there were thousands online who bashed him, as well as several Oilers reporters. Mark Spector even went so far as to suggest the ugly performance will be part of the reason he won’t be on Canada’s roster for the 2026 Olympics.
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“That is the mistake Bouchard will make in Turks and Caicos during the Olympic break, not in Milan.” Spector wrote on X. “An unnecessary dangling while the last man is back, pocket picked, 1-0 Isles.”
While it remains to be seen whether or not Bouchard will be named to Canada’s roster for the Olympics, it’s very strange to see the Oilers media and fanbase go after him like this, especially this early in the season.
We know Bouchard is doing well
While Bouchard’s mistakes – which other elite defensemen in the NHL don’t seem to make – are frustrating, sometimes they are just part of his game. What’s important to keep in mind is that this time it happened in game four of the regular season.
What fans also know about Bouchard is that when the stakes are highest, he rises to the occasion. Would you rather a defenseman have an off night in October or during the playoffs? Anyone who has watched Bouchard during the Oilers’ last three playoff runs knows it how dominant he is at that time of year.
Through 75 career postseason games, Bouchard has 20 goals and 81 points. Cale Makar, widely considered the best defenseman in the NHL, has 22 goals and 85 points in 79 playoff games. Quinn Hughes, meanwhile, has two goals and 26 points in 30 games. Considered one of the best two-way defensemen of his era, Victor Hedman has 120 points in 170 career playoff appearances.
The whole point is that Bouchard picks up his game in a big way when it matters most. That’s exactly why the Oilers signed him. Of course, they want him to be just as elite in the regular season as well, but they were well aware of some of his issues before signing him last offseason. This Oilers team will be competing for Stanley Cups for several more years to come, and they can rest easy knowing that when the playoffs arrive, Bouchard will be his elite self.
Bouchard is worth every cent
Although there are still those who scoff his cap hit of $10.5 millionthey are the individuals who see just a few ugly clips on social media and start mocking the player. If they were to actually sit down and watch him on a regular basis, they would see the elite offensive abilities he possesses, including the ability to make a difficult break look quite easy.
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There’s certainly an argument that Bouchard’s $10.5 million cap hit during the regular season is an overpayment. But then again, does that really matter that much when you know he’s going to dominate the playoffs again and again? It’s a trade-off that Oilers management was willing to make, and one that fans must not only accept, but embrace moving forward.
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