Edmonton Oilers will see Mattias Ekholm return to the lineup. Expected to be paired with Evan Bouchard. It is "cup-or-bust" this year for the Edmonton Oilers. These astronomical expectations make the 1-3 start that much more upsetting for fans and players alike. No one foresaw the team starting this way - not even the most pessimistic of fans. Still, the team finds themselves in a tiny hole to begin the year. Like Stuart Skinner said in his post game comments last Saturday, "every championship team goes through adversity." There has been some chatter that the Oilers should move on from Evan Bouchard. That he doesn't play great defense and has been off to a terrible start. It's true that he's not the best defensive defenseman on the team - but he's the best when it comes to offense. Edmonton Oilers Evan Bouchard. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4Nzk3OTAzMTYwOTQzOTc5/usatsi_19576250_168401874_lowres.jpg] Edmonton Oilers Evan Bouchard. In the first four games of this season Bouchard has four points, three of which have been from the power play. He's fired 12 shots while averaging 21:52 of ice time [https://frozenpool.dobbersports.com/players/evan-bouchard] per game. He's never played more on the power play, averaging 4:28 of power play time a game! He's closely following the footsteps of another elite offensive defenseman, Erik Karlsson. In Karlsson's third season he scored 77 points in 81 games - and earned himself his first James Norris Trophy for the NHL's best defenseman. In this video, I break down the statistics of Karlsson's first three seasons compared to Bouchard's. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDlkr1OPjKs[/embed] In short, with much less ice time (and power play time) Bouchard has shared the same points per game pace as Karlsson's first two seasons in the NHL. With increased ice time at even strength and the power play, there's no reason he can't match Karlsson's 77 point third season this year. These defensemen don't grow on trees, and if the Oilers traded Bouchard they would be hard pressed to replace his offense. Newcomer Sees Diminishing Minutes With Oilers Related: Oilers Forward Moved Off McDavid's Wing Related: Towering Oilers Defender Put on Waivers Related: Oilers Making Change on Defense
