Most people outside of Edmonton think Evan Bouchard’s play and production is a product of playing alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, especially on the power play.
It’s hard to argue that’s not at least somewhat true—any player is going to benefit from playing with the best player in the world and arguably the second-best player in the world as well. However, former Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish sees it much differently. In fact, he believes McDavid and Draisaitl wouldn’t be who they are without the brilliance of Bouchard on the back end.
“Iconic season for sure. We talk a lot about Connor and Leon, but they wouldn’t be Connor and Leon without Evan back there. And he just continues to get better and better and better. I think that snub from the Olympics had to be a motivator for him and the rest of the team—none more than Evan—in terms of his one-on-one battles down low. He’s just an amazing passer and an incredible hockey player,”
The 26-year-old Bouchard leads the NHL in scoring among defensemen, having already racked up a career-high 86 points (20 goals, 66 assists) through 74 games played this season.
There’s no doubt that Bouchard has benefited greatly from playing with and learning from McDavid and Draisaitl. That said, he was a 10th overall pick (2018) for a reason, and as he’s developed, it’s fair to say that what he brings to the table has also helped his two superstar forwards.
Playing alongside McDavid or Draisaitl isn’t as easy as most people think, and it’s even harder to produce close to 100 points as a defenseman—no matter who’s on your team. Cale Makar plays with Nathan MacKinnon and other stars in Colorado, yet despite having posted only slight better numbers than Bouchard in recent years, nobody would say he’s riding anyone’s coattails.
That’s not to say Bouchard is on par with the likes of Makar, Quinn Hughes, or Zach Werenski, but he’s not far off at all, and in 2025–26, he’s been just as good, if not better, than all of them.
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