Recording 100 points in one season is very rare for an NHL defenseman. Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes haven't done it, but Edmonton Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard has a real chance this season.
Already known as one of the NHL's most elite offensive defensemen, Evan Bouchard is setting a new bar.
Bouchard's been on an incredible hot streak and is raising his ceiling when it looked like he couldn't rise it much higher. He could even become the seventh D-man in NHL history to reach 100 points in a season and the second in the past 30 years.
The Oilers are puttering along this season, but Bouchard is producing at a faster clip than ever. Despite Edmonton's mediocre 32-26-8 record, Bouchard is sitting at 76 points (19 goals, 57 assists) overall. He leads all NHL defensemen in points by a solid margin, sitting eight points ahead of Columbus Blue Jackets D-man Zach Werenski's 68.
His 19 goals are a new career high, and he's not just outproducing other D-men. Since Jan. 1, he’s third in NHL scoring behind only Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Nikita Kucherov and Oilers captain Connor McDavid.
Bouchard has racked up 39 points, an elite pace of about 1.56 points per game over that span. The power-play juggernaut has 28 points total on the man advantage, with seven goals and 21 assists. Bouchard is quarterbacking Edmonton's top unit, and even with the elite talent Edmonton possesses, he's arguably that unit's most dangerous weapon.
Can Bouchard Hit 100 Points?
Bouchard is currently on track for roughly 94 points over an 82-game season. With Edmonton having played 66 games ahead of Friday's contest, that leaves 16 games remaining for him to get the 24 points he needs to hit 100.
It's reasonable to believe he can get there.
If he sustains his post-January pace of about 1.56 points per game, frankly, it feels like a near lock.
Why? Bouchard has remained relatively injury-free; he's going to get ample opportunity to score, and he's logging big minutes at 24:36 of ice time per game. It's also important to remember that the Oilers haven't found their stride this season. If and when they do, expect his numbers to go up.
Reaching 100 points would be a massive statement for the 26-year-old right-shot defenseman, and it's no wonder he's getting Norris Trophy consideration. He may not win the award – given his reputation as more of a one-dimensional style defender – but if he hits 100 points, it will be hard to ignore how dominant he's been.
Only six defensemen have ever hit 100 points in a season: Bobby Orr six times, Paul Coffey five times, Dennis Potvin, Al MacInnis, Brian Leetch and Erik Karlsson, who did so in 2022-23. The only other modern-day defensemen to come close have been Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi (with a career high of 96 points), Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar (92) and Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild (92).
The Oilers made a smart bet by banking on Bouchard. He's proven their risk to give him $10.5 million per season to be anything but a mistake. He's not perfect, but the kind of offensive numbers he's putting up allows for a bit of latitude when it comes to his defensive warts.
When you factor in how effective he's been in past playoff runs, Bouchard may only be scratching the surface of what he'll give Edmonton as this season winds down.
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