Evan Bouchard’s breakout performance in the 2024 playoffs has elevated his game to new heights. After all, he recently became the third-fastest defenceman in history to reach 40 career postseason points, and the other side of his game has improved.
The 24-year-old has had many more highs than lows, which is why he was third on the Oilers’ scoring list heading into Game 5. Not bad for a guy who earns just around $4 million per season. What makes this even more impressive is that he has been playing so well while facing one of the league’s greatest defensemen, Quinn Hughes.
The Norris Trophy finalist undoubtedly had a tremendous regular season.DailyFaceoff’s Frank Seravalli certainly believes that, as he proclaimed when he appeared on The Fan Pregame for Sportsnet 590 The FAN yesterday.
“In this series, in these playoffs, Evan Bouchard has been, I think, on a different, better level than Quinn Hughes. I think Quinn Hughes has been very average,” he said. “Did he make some really strong plays at the blue line in Game 4? Yeah, he did. I thought that was the most assertive he looked in this series. But by no means has Quinn Hughes been a game changer and that’s exactly what Evan Bouchard has been for this team.
“This playoffs has put Evan Bouchard on the map in terms of being in that conversation among the five, seven, 10 best defensemen in the entire league.”
It’s hard to argue against what Seravalli has been saying here because Bouchard has performed exceptionally up to this point in the postseason. And it is not just because he is putting up a ton of power-play points; he has formed a dynamic partnership with Mattias Ekholm and helped elevate the forwards’ play in front of him. The Oilers seem to be moving the puck a lot and getting a good cycle going whenever Bouchard is on the ice and it feels like they are always on a power play even when it is even strength.
The strong traits of being a great PP1 quarterback, the point shot, and a good on-ice vision were always there for him. But combine that with the added confidence and the other elements of his game improving, it results in a defenceman who is arguably right up there with the likes of Hughes, Cale Makar, and Adam Fox as the best in the NHL.
Leave a Reply