Is it possible for the Edmonton Oilers to win a Stanley Cup without having either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisatil take home Conn Smythe honours?
The very thought of neither of those being named playoff MVP in a potential Oilers championship seems unthinkable. McDavid and Draisaitl may be the two best players on the planet, and surely one of them would take home the Conn Smythe in such a situation.
Yet, Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard is making it difficult to say that for certain.
Most points by a defenceman in first 16 games of a postseason
Paul Coffey (1985) 31
Denis Potvin (1981) 25
Bobby Orr (1972) 24
Cale Makar (2022) 24
Evan Bouchard (2024) 23
Brian Leetch (1994) 23 pic.twitter.com/yXdzgnvihH— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 30, 2024
The 24-year-old defenceman has been lights out for the Oilers during this playoff run and has been running the table league-wide in terms of defensive scoring. At the moment, Bouchard has six goals and 23 points in 16 playoff games, which is seven points ahead of Dallas Stars’ defenceman Miro Heiskanen.
Bouchard also became the first defenceman in NHL history to amass 20 points through the first two rounds of the playoffs. This scoring streak already ranks as the 11th highest in NHL history by a defenceman, and he can climb into the top 10 with just one more point.
If that wasn’t enough, three of his six goals in the postseason have been game-winners, including one in OT against the Vancouver Canucks. That leads the Oilers in that category.
TIED AND HEADING BACK TO OIL COUNTRY! 👊
Evan Bouchard’s @SUBWAYCanada OT winner evens the series for the Oilers in Game 2. pic.twitter.com/ircMKEwB5d
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 11, 2024
He still lags behind Draisaitl (26) and McDavid (28) for the team lead in scoring, but having a defenseman put up this many points and score so many critical goals in a playoff run is incredible. There is no telling where the Oilers would be without those three game-winners.
On the defensive end of the puck, Bouchard has also led the way. He leads the team in high-danger chances-for percentage (HDCF%) at 66.39% and is also atop the Oilers regarding expected goal-for percentage (xGF%) at 61.83%.
In almost every facet, Bouchard has been the team’s top defenceman in the playoffs and a major reason why they are just two wins away from a Stanley Cup Final berth.
If the Oilers can realize their ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup, the Conn Smythe may very well go to one of McDavid or Draisaitl. The fact that Bouchard is potentially putting doubt into that concept should be seen as a massive accomplishment of its own.
Of course, this all hinges on the belief that the Oilers can get to the point where this is a tangible and realistic scenario. They still need to get past a very good Dallas Stars team and, even if they manage that, there is no guarantee that the Florida Panthers or New York Rangers will be an easy out.
We’ll see if Bouchard can keep up the heroics in Game 5 tomorrow night.