Evan Bouchard
Evan Bouchard is a top-pair Oilers defenseman who is scoring at a very high rate early this season, but I could not read a current power-play page, so his man-advantage role is unconfirmed.
Role
Oilers Nation's game 15 preview, published today, has Ekholm and Bouchard as the top pair. The writer says he copied the previous day's lines and guessed at some changes, so it is a projection. A 13-day-old projected lineup for an October 24 game against Toronto, sourced to NHL.com, had Bouchard paired with Mukhamadullin instead, so his partner has not been constant. I could not confirm his power-play unit or minutes from a current page. Daily Faceoff's line page loaded with a July 2026 timestamp and generic text, so I am not using it. Ryan Shea and Connor Murphy appear as the second pair in the Oilers Nation projection.
A Daily Faceoff power rankings piece, dated today, says Bouchard is on pace for 44 goals, four short of Paul Coffey's record of 48 from 1985-86. Optimists would point to that scoring pace and to his top-pair role beside Ekholm, with McDavid and Draisaitl ahead of him in the lineup. Last season he had 8 power-play points in 15 games, 26 points in total and 45 shots on goal, which shows the production when he is healthy.
A 44-goal pace for a defenseman is unlikely to hold, and the figure comes from a single snippet that I could not open in full. His partner has changed between Ekholm and Mukhamadullin in the lineups I found. I have no current confirmation of his power-play unit or ice time. Last season's 15-game sample is small.
Where analysts split
broad agreement
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at D
Fantasy Memo reads your league and answers that every Monday, and checks your lineup on the days you play.
Connect your league: 14 days free