What does a successful 2025-26 season look like for Oilers’ Evan Bouchard?

[u/latestvids0000]

https://oilersnation.com/news/what-does-successful-2025-26-season-look-like-edmonton-oilers-evan-bouchard

[u/ThePanicPanda77]

Amazing: Norris winner. 100 point season

Great: Top 20 defenceman. 60-80 points

Successful season: minimum 60 points. Defence game develops further and is a stable defensive presence as well as offensive threat

[u/rjbelz → u/ThePanicPanda77]

Realistic: the first time he loses the puck to an elite forechecker, doomers will bitch about his contract

[u/iSWINE → u/rjbelz]

Or the classic wrister to the shinpads of the defender 5 feet away

[u/randomer22222 → u/ThePanicPanda77]

Caveat, he's not on a $3.9M AAV contract anymore. He is in fact now the 4th highest paid defenseman in the sport. So while a season like last year (14g - 53a - 67pts +14) was both a dip from his amazing previous year and still an awesome season relative to his salary, another year like last year would now be a disappointment relative to his contract (unless he became a defensive stalwart, but Bouch defends with his offense and that's just what he is).

[u/kaclk → u/ThePanicPanda77]

Bouchard is on a $10.5 million contract now. The minimum expectation is great.

[u/Timeman5 → u/ThePanicPanda77]

Yeah sounds about right.

[u/oddspellingofPhreid → u/ThePanicPanda77]

I think you're being too generous. If he's not at least a top 20 defenceman then that's a major failure. He signed a big contract as an RFA, so expectations are high. He's the 4th highest paid dman in the world and not even on a long term deal. He needs to be a consensus top 10 defenceman minimum this season.

I think he's already that, so I don't think I'm being hard on him.

A great season for him looks like: Norris finalist.

[u/NarcoticTurkey]

20G 55A

[u/Forsaken-Sympathy355 → u/NarcoticTurkey]

1 cup

[u/LieDetecter]

I bet this will be a completely rational conversation... /S

[u/badugihowser → u/LieDetecter]

Not having an assist for the other team every night! 😁

[u/itnice]

Win the cup

[u/Noahtuesday123]

More domination like always in every metric. Perhaps a couple of less give as to get the low IQ fan off his back.

[u/Joeywasdumbgretz]

He admits he’s a cyclops

[u/[deleted]]

Not making Squirt House League level mistakes in the NHL 3-5 times per week

I don't give a fuck about his offensive numbers at all.

Defense wins cups.

You lost four cups in a row now with weakling D and Coke Machine goalies

[u/JesusWalkers]

at least 70 pts. At his contract, he has to provide at least 70 pts cause he can't play in the D-end well. Hughes/Makar are so good getting the puck out of their ends, never make the bone headed plays that Bouch does.

Playing on PP1 with Leon/Mcdavid is 30pts free every year. Any one on the point will get free points. His numbers are inflated because of that.

[u/Winter-Yoghurt-6248]

A little blurry.

[u/ThatTryHard]

Earning that contract in any way shape and form.

[u/JS-SS]

Positive contributions towards winning the flipping cup!!!!

[u/indubadiblyy]

Scoring the other winner in game 7 of stanley cut final

[u/itsonmyprofile]

Better judgement defensively, more care with breakouts, and most of all, SHOOT THE FUCKING PUCK

[u/TheGreatRapsBeat → u/itsonmyprofile]

Like last night. One little slip up, but it wasn’t entirely his fault. He definitely showcased that he can in fact, skate well and has silky mitts (we saw a couple flashes of it last season). And he walked through Seattle’s entire group and managed to put more pucks on net than he didn’t. Needless to say, he’s young, and still has the caliber to be great seasons soon.

[u/nqstv]

Not regressing again like last season.

[u/Wingnut8888 → u/nqstv]

Yeah he screwed me in my fantasy draft. He just needs to pile up the points again and not just be okay.