Bouchard demoted: Oilers make changes to their defensive pairings
After some immense struggles in the defensive zone through the first six games of the season, the Edmonton Oilers have demoted Evan Bouchard to the third pairing.
While Bouchard has been a solid offensive contributor this season with two goals and eight points through six games, his plus/minus of -8 helps show how poor his play has been in his end of the ice. Jay Woodcroft has clearly noticed, as he has demoted the 24-year-old to the third pairing ahead of tonight’s game versus the New York Rangers.
Expected alongside Bouchard on the third pairing is Brett Kulak, while Philip Broberg will be elevated to play with Mattias Ekholm on the second pair. Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse will continue as the top pairing, while Vincent Desharnais appears to be the seventh defenceman, though he will play, as the Oilers have been running an 11-7 combination as of late.
The Oilers forward lines are expected to remain the same tonight, which comes as no real surprise given that they scored four times in a 7-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night. The only other change will be between the pipes, as Stuart Skinner is expected to draw the start.
Oilers fans and coaching staff alike are hoping that this demotion can help get a rise out of Bouchard, who has seemed to lack urgency in his game on the defensive side of the puck through the first six games of the 2023-24 campaign. While he has never been the strongest player defensively, he is capable of playing better than he has shown so far this season.
That said, Bouchard is far from the only Oiler who has struggled this season, as proven by their 1-4-1 record. Things won’t be getting easier anytime soon with Connor McDavid out of the lineup, meaning everyone else on the roster will need to step up in order to pull out of the funk they find themselves in.
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