Last season, the Oilers defenseman put up 95 points in 82 games, leading every NHL defenseman in scoring. He had 21 goals, 74 assists and a plus-25 rating while averaging nearly 25 minutes a night.
And somehow, Bouchard still wasn’t a Norris Trophy finalist.
A lot of the criticism around his game comes from his defensive mistakes, but his overall game has continued to grow. He’s now entering the season as an alternate captain in Edmonton, and the Oilers themselves are calling him one of the league’s elite blueliners.
At 26 years old, Bouchard is entering his prime. If he takes another step defensively while maintaining that offensive production, it’s going to be pretty hard to keep calling him underrated.
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