Oilers' Evan Bouchard is the NHLPA's Player of the Week
Edmonton Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard is playing the best hockey of his NHL career right now.
While the 24-year-old is still prone to defensive miscues, his offensive game has turned into everything Oilers management could have hoped for and more. He is up to eight goals and 32 points in just 27 games this season, which over the course of a full 82-game schedule equals a 24-goal, 97-point season.
With two assists in last night’s game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, Bouchard was able to keep a 13-game point streak alive. That point streak, and in particular his play over the past week, is quickly turning heads.
.@EvanBouchard02 ended his week the way it started ā with another multi-point performance.
The @EdmontonOilers defenceman extended his point streak to 13 games, and led all defenceman with 8 points and 3 goals as our NHLPA Player of the Week. pic.twitter.com/frciBxBigZ
ā NHLPA (@NHLPA) December 15, 2023
On Friday morning, the NHLPA announced that Bouchard was their Player of the Week, scoring three goals and eight points over that span.
“Evan Bouchard ended his week the way it started — with another multi-point performance,” the NHLPA wrote on X. “The Edmonton Oilers defenceman extended his point streak to 13 games, and led all defenceman with 8 points and 3 goals as our NHLPA Player of the Week.”
Bouchard’s real coming out party took place in last year’s playoffs, as he led all playoff defencemen in scoring with 17 points despite only playing in 12 games. Oilers fans were hopeful he could continue to produce at a similar level in 2023-24, and they haven’t been disappointed thus far.
Thanks to his great play, Bouchard is just four goals shy of tying his career-high 12 set in 2021-22 and just 11 shy of his career-best 43 points set that same season. Assuming he stays healthy, he will easily surpass those totals and should be right in the thick of things when it comes to the scoring race for blue-liners. Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes is currently leading that race with 39 points.
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