Halloween is right around the corner, and Edmonton Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard wanted to get a head start on things last night.
The 25-year-old defenceman had himself quite a performance, notching a goal and assist en route to a 3-2 OT victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Perhaps it was helped along by an amazing pre-game warmup trade that he made with a young fan.
As the teams were warming up before the game, Bouchard stopped along the glass to trade a puck to a young fan offering Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in return. The trade was one-for-one, and everyone was happy with the result.
Though his defensive game has gotten off to a bit of a rough start this season, we are starting to see Bouchard rev things up offensively. He was lights out in the playoffs last season, scoring six goals and 32 points in 25 games. Last season, he managed to score 18 goals and 82 points in 81 games, making it the highest-scoring season by an Oilers defenceman not named Paul Coffey.
Bouchard will have to work to return to that plateau again this season, as he has three goals and six points through his first nine games. Five of those points, however, have been scored in the last three games, indicating that things are starting to turn in the right direction.
If he can take one thing out of his performance in Detroit, perhaps it’s that he should be looking to make similar trades with more fans before games. We’ll see if he continues the trend tonight as the Oilers are in Ohio to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.