Evan Bouchard has heard the criticism about his often-costly defensive miscues, so the Edmonton Oilers defenceman plans to simplify that part of his game, saying the change should not impact his already elite-level offensive skills.
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change → hear → skills
Bouchard led all NHL defenceman in scoring last season with 21 goals and 95 points while playing all 82 games.
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Bouchard → lead → games
Despite the criticism from local fans and media about his defensive play, the 26-year-old from Oakville, Ont., finished with a positive plus-minus rating of 25.
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old → finish → 25
Asked early in training camp what areas he’s looking to improve upon this season, Bouchard addressed the criticism directly.
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Bouchard → ask → criticism
“Keeping the puck out of the net when I’m out there,” he said.
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he → keep → net
“I think the offence will come, but most importantly focus on the defensive side of things first.”
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offence → think → things
To get there, Bouchard said he has work to do on that part of his game.
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he → get → game
“I think a lot of it’s not letting those mistakes pile up,” he said.
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he → think → it
I think I was caught doing that quite a bit last year, so I think if I cannot dumb it down, but simplify it a little bit, it’ll help things.”
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it → think → things
Hired this summer after the Oilers fired Kris Knoblauch, new head coach Mike Babcock said there are some things he’s seen that he and Bouchard will talk about.
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he → hire → that
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“Well, he’s good.
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he → get → news
That’s what I know so far,” said Babcock.
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Babcock → ’ → what
“The great thing about Bouch is that he’s open, honest, straightforward and he’s easy to talk to.
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he → ’ → Bouch
“He’s not one of those guys where you talk to him and suddenly he’s worried about his game.”
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he → ’ → game
Bouchard played much of last season alongside veteran Mattias Ekholm, but through most of camp Babcock has tried Bouchard with other partners, including Ryan Shea, signed as a free agent this summer to a five-year US$20-million contract.
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Babcock → play → contract
General manager Stan Bowman said he sees Bouchard’s game getting better this season alongside Shea, whom he believes is a vital cog in the team’s defensive play.
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he → say → play
“As far as Evan goes, I think his performance the last few seasons was outstanding,” said Bowman.
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Bowman → go → ?
“He’s really reaching that age where he’s probably just coming into his best years.
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he → reach → years
I think these next few years for Evan are going to be huge.
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years → think → Evan
The sky’s the limit.”
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sky → ’ → ?
Bowman said that much of the defensive criticism comes because Bouchard’s defensive mistakes get magnified, often leading to good scoring chances for the opposition.
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mistakes → say → opposition
“If I mention the name Evan Bouchard you think of power play, you think of his shot, you think of his passing.
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you → mention → passing
He’s become a very effective defender as well, used in all situations.
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He → become → situations
You can’t play 25 minutes a game if you’re being sheltered defensively.”
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you → play → minutes
The Oilers gave up 269 goals last season — only eight teams surrendered more.
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teams → give → more
So Bowman made some significant defensive changes, trading away 12-year Oilers defenceman Darryl Nurse and bringing in Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin (in the Nurse trade to San Jose).
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Bowman → make → Jose
Nurse had a minus-13 defensive rating last season, but he also played an average of more than 22 minutes a game throughout his career.
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he → have → career
“It’s definitely going to be a hard piece to fill with Darnell,” said Bouchard.
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Bouchard → go → Darnell
“He’s got the whole package.
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He → get → package
He’s big, he can skate, he’s a leader in the room, he’s vocal in the room.
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he → ’ → room
That’s hard to come by.
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That → ’ → ?
“So yeah, we’re definitely going to miss him, but with that being said, I think the management has done a good job of picking up players.
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management → go → players
I think they’re going to be good additions to the group and they’re going to fit in very well here.”
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they → think → group
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
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