Things have been cyclical for the Edmonton Oilers. After back-to-back losses in the Stanley Cup Final, not to mention four straight seasons of losing to the eventual champions, the Oilers are off to another frustrating and somewhat bewildering start to the season. Despite their collective focus, with a strong focus on captain’s skates even prior to training camp, the Oilers continue to find a way to come out of the gates slow.
Among the more individual trends that seem to contribute to this strange rhythm is the divisive play of Evan Bouchard. Already an accomplished player with a contract to match, Bouchard already has both the third and eleventh most points in a single playoff season. The good news is that despite seeming to make a lot more gaffes early in the season, Bouchard seems to save his best for the biggest moments. The bad news is that risk is inherent to his style of play, perhaps even necessary to fully unlock his upside.
Bouchard will be a big factor in the Oilers journey this season, but should he be considered for Canada at the coming Olympics? To what extent should he be considered among the league’s elite? Amidst some early season struggles, we asked our readers whether or not Bouchard should be on Canada’s Olympic roster in this week’s Sunday Census.
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A slim chance of making the roster
It seems to be a fairly unpopular opinion to have Bouchard on Canada’s Olympic team. Among Oilers fans, who should be among the most familiar with Bouchard’s strengths, this is a fairly low number. One might imagine that this opinion is even more skewed around the league.
Clearly his recent play has something to do with things, as Bouchard was every bit as good as Thomas Harley in last season’s Western Conference Final. There are, of course, other team related contexts that matter, with many of the best options sharing Bouchard’s right shot.
Canada selected a very balanced blueline for last season’s F4our Nations Face-off, where Bouchard’s risk might not be as appealing as the certainty of more well rounded players. Still, there might be some room for an offensive option deeper in the lineup.
Fans don’t think Bouchard deserves a spot
Likewise, a multitude of reasons convene to put this answer to lead our poll. It might have to do with his recent play, with several costly plays helping the Oilers to their usual slow start. It might have to do with his competition, with many great right handed players to choose between.
Moreover, some might be taking a harsh view of Bouchard from a larger perspective. Despite his obvious scoring prowess a certain cloud hangs over analysis of Bouchard’s game. Some might disagree with his high risk game on an ideological level. Some might be focused on the frequency of his lackadaisical efforts, hoping Bouchard might show some of the same physicality as Darnell Nurse. The fact that he is tall and talented can make his miscues all the more frustrating.
Perhaps no player is perfect, and it is important not to lose sight of the high end strengths that Bouchard brings to the table. Being a vital part of a contending Oilers team is one thing, and the Oilers and Bouchard have a proven track record in the playoffs. That said, playing for team Canada is another question altogether. With the luxury of choice, perhaps many of these voters would simply go with safer options.
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Too early to say
As far as this poll goes, it is hard to glean too much from this representation. Perhaps some feel that Bouchard is on the bubble, that injuries or performance might yet dictate his place on the team. With such a strong and deep pool of players to choose from, to be in legitimate conversation for a spot on this team is a credit in its own right.
It might be presumptuous, but perhaps many voters here would be in the yes camp had Bouchard’s mistakes not been so prevalent to this point. Even so, more than half the voters had an outright no. Despite his dominant production and control of play, these kinds of mistakes put a blemish on Bouchard’s reputation.
It might not be fair to say the Oilers should have regrets over Bouchard’s employment. An angle is that Bouchard might never be better supported than he is now. His partnership with Mattias Ekholm has been incredible, and in the long run it might be difficult for the Oilers to find as good a partner as Ekholm has been to this point. Granted Brett Kulak has been a solid partner for Bouchard in the past, but Ekholm getting older means that even he might have a hard time living up to the standard set.
Either way, as frustrating as the Oilers poor starts continue to be, fans should expect better from Bouchard and the team as a whole in the future. Time will tell whether he gets any consideration for team Canada, but clearly the court of public opinion does not seem to think so.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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