Evan Bouchard wasted little time making his presence felt.
Three goals and two assists in the Edmonton Oilers’ season opener against Vancouver. A point on every Edmonton goal, and a place in NHL history as the first defenceman to record five points in a season opener.
Apparently, one historic night was not enough.
Bouchard followed it with a goal and two assists in his second game, again against Vancouver, bringing him to four goals and eight points through Edmonton’s first two games. According to NHL Public Relations, he established a new NHL record for a defenceman, surpassing Harry Cameron’s seven points through his team’s first two games in 1917–18.
He also set an Oilers benchmark for points through a player’s first two games of a season. The previous high was six, recorded by Wayne Gretzky in 1987–88 and matched by Connor McDavid in 2016–17.
That is quite the company to move ahead of.
For a player coming off the most productive season of his career, it has been a fitting way to return to the Norris conversation after finishing just outside the finalist group.
If this is Bouchard’s Norris vengeance tour, the first two stops have been difficult to ignore.
A season that deserved consideration
Last year, Bouchard recorded 21 goals and 74 assists for 95 points in 82 games. Those numbers marked a career high and placed him at the top of the league’s scoring race among defencemen.
Yet his name was missing from the list of Norris finalists when they were announced. Zach Werenski, Cale Makar, and Rasmus Dahlin finished ahead of him, leaving Bouchard fourth in voting.
There is an argument to be made that he deserved a place among those finalists. Leading his position in scoring does not settle an award that considers a defenceman’s overall game, but a 95-point season should be a substantial part of that discussion.
Bouchard’s mistakes rarely escape the attention of media and fans alike. A turnover can dominate the conversation, particularly when it ends with the puck in his own net. Yet his contributions do not always receive the same attention.
Those mistakes deserve scrutiny. But when they become the focus even after the most productive season of his career, it is fair to ask whether the rest of his game is getting the recognition it deserves.
His passing can put a forward in a position to attack before the opposition has time to recover. His reads at the blue line can extend a possession and give Edmonton another opportunity. And the Bouch Bomb gives opponents something else to account for.
Even when he does not shoot, that threat matters. A defender stepping toward him can leave an opening elsewhere. Bouchard can recognize it and move the puck before it disappears.
That is part of what Edmonton gets from him throughout a game. The scoring totals reflect an offensive role that has become central to the Oilers’ attack.
Historic company is becoming familiar for Evan Bouchard
The names attached to this start make it memorable. The history behind it makes the Norris storyline more compelling.
Bouchard had already produced achievements that placed him alongside some of the game’s most accomplished defencemen:
- Passing Paul Coffey: His 26 assists in the 2024 playoffs surpassed Coffey’s 25 from 1985, setting an NHL record for a defenceman in one postseason.
- Joining the 30-point club: He finished that playoff run with six goals and 32 points, becoming the fourth defenceman to reach 30 points in a single postseason. Coffey, Brian Leetch, and Al MacInnis had done it before him.
- Keeping pace with Orr and Leetch: Bouchard reached 50-career playoff points in 45 games, making him the third-fastest defenceman to that milestone behind Bobby Orr and Leetch.
- Contributing to every goal: His six-point game against Washington on January 24 made him the fourth NHL defenceman to factor into every goal his team scored in a game with at least six goals. Orr, MacInnis, and Doug Crossman were the others.
- Another Coffey connection: With hat tricks in January and September, Bouchard recorded two in the same calendar year, something Coffey accomplished in 1985.
The Washington performance came in his 400th NHL game. His first career hat trick, combined with three assists, helped Edmonton earn a 6–5 overtime win.
That game was part of the season that still left him outside the Norris finalists.
The Coffey connection is especially meaningful in Edmonton. Bouchard broke a playoff assist record established during the Oilers’ dynasty years, putting his own name beside a standard that had stood for nearly four decades.
Now his earlyseason production has reached beyond comparisons with defencemen. The Oilers benchmark he surpassed belonged to Gretzky and McDavid.
The circumstances differ, but there is a pattern worth recognizing. Bouchard’s offensive accomplishments have repeatedly put him in historic company. His first two games have added another to that list.
Recognition within Edmonton
Bouchard also entered this season with another responsibility. The Oilers named him an alternate captain ahead of the 2026–27 campaign.
An “A” does not explain everything a player brings to a dressing room. It does place him within the team’s leadership group, and the appointment suggests Edmonton values his contribution beyond the scoresheet.
That belongs in the discussion of his place on this roster, particularly when the criticism outside it can be so loud.
Coffey offered his own assessment during an April 2026 Sportsnet interview with Luke Gazdic.
“Bouch is as good as it gets.”
It is a brief endorsement from someone whose understanding of the position carries considerable weight in Edmonton.
Bouchard’s role has continued growing, and so have the expectations. The alternate captaincy adds another reason to watch how he responds over the course of this season.
Can Bouchard keep it going?
There was purpose behind the opening-night points, too. With Edmonton trailing 5–2 in the third period, Bouchard contributed to all three goals that brought the Oilers back into the game.
He then followed that performance with another three-point night.
Two games cannot decide a Norris race. Sustaining his influence will require more than memorable scoring totals, especially on nights when the chances are harder to find.
A clean exit, a good defensive read, or the patience to let a play develop can help Edmonton just as much when a game is tight. Those details will matter as Bouchard works to strengthen his case over the course of a full season.
But his start has given that conversation an immediate reason to continue.
He entered the year with a career-best season behind him, records already bearing his name and a larger role within Edmonton. His first two games have added another chapter.
Will the vengeance tour continue? There is plenty of season left to find out.
For now, Bouchard is giving people plenty to remember when the next Norris ballots arrive.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
