Edmonton Oilers defenseman is close to breaking an all-time playoff record held by Paul Coffey.
EDMONTON -- In his heyday, Paul Coffey was the best of the best.
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This year has been a coming out party for Edmonton Oilers power play ace Evan Bouchard. After back-to-back seasons of 40 points or more, he collected 82 points in 81 games this past regular season.
That strong production has carried over into the Stanley Cup playoffs.
With 28 points in 20 games, Bouchard leads all defensemen in scoring this postseason. The next highest is Dallas Stars blueliner Miro Heiskanen, who finished his playoff run with 16 points.
Additionally, Bouchard is tied with teammate Leon Draisaitl for second in playoff scoring. The pair trail Connor McDavid by four points.
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Bouchard's run isn't just impressive for this postseason - it's turning into an all-timer.
Bouchard is one point shy of tying Cale Makar's point totals from the Colorado Avalanche's 2022 Stanley Cup win. Makar won the Conn Smythe Trophy that year.
The all-time record for defenseman points in a single playoff run is 37, which is a record held by Coffey. Bouchard is nine points away from this record, but there is another record he is closer to matching and potentially moving past.
The NHL record for assists in a playoff year for a defenseman is 25. Bouchard currently has 22. He only needs three more assists to tie this record. He has at least two more games to blow this record out of the water.
If the Oilers can get their power play running on all cylinders tonight, this record could be as good as gone in short order.
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