Bouchard focused on Cup, piling up points for Oilers entering Final

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Evan Bouchard is only the sixth defenseman in NHL history to have 20 assists in a Stanley Cup Playoff year.

Irrelevant.

The Edmonton Oilers defenseman is the third-fastest at the position in NHL history to reach 50 career playoff points (45 games), trailing Brian Leetch (41 games) and Bobby Orr (39 games).

Meaningless.

His 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) in 18 playoff games this season give him 53 (13 goals, 40 assists) for his career, placing him third on the franchise’s postseason points list for defensemen, behind Paul Coffey (103) and Charlie Huddy (77).

Who cares?

At least that’s the candid opinion of Coffey, the Hockey Hall of Famer who is Edmonton’s assistant in charge of defensemen.

“None of those things matter,” Coffey told NHL.com Friday. “Not right now.

“Numbers are great, but the goal is bigger than that. He would be the first to tell you that. All that matters is what happens from here on in. Win four more games and then there’s plenty of time to look back at the stats.”

If anyone would know, it's Coffey.

No NHL defenseman has scored more points in a playoff year than Coffey, who had 37 (12 goals, 25 assists) in 18 games for the Oilers in 1985. The fact that he ranks second in regular-season points among defensemen with 1,531 (396 goals, 1,135 assists), behind Ray Bourque (1,579 points; 410 goals, 1,169 assists), only adds to his credibility as an authority on the subject.

“The thing about 1985, the only thing that mattered, was that we won the Stanley Cup,” Coffey said. “Evan feels the same way about this year. There will be plenty of time to look at numbers, stuff like that when it’s over.

“We have a chance at this. What matters is how he and we play moving forward.”

That quest officially starts when the Oilers meet the host Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).

For his part, Bouchard said his head would spin if he started thinking long and hard about having his name mentioned in the same sentence as legends such as the Coffeys, the Orrs, the Bourques. So he’s not doing it. At least not yet. In the here and now, he agrees with Coffey that the points are mere footnotes in what the Oilers are attempting to accomplish.

As if to underscore that point, Bouchard, sitting at a podium during Stanley Cup Final Media Day at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday, took a quick glance over his right shoulder at the set where NHL Network’s live broadcast was set up. There, perched on a table next to analyst Mike Rupp, was the Stanley Cup, in all its majestic glory.

To say it briefly caught Bouchard’s eye would be an understatement. More like it captured his imagination.

“It’s cool to hear you being talked about in the same conversations with some of the all-time greats, but there’s still another round to go and that’s the focus,” the 24-year-old said. “So the bigger picture here is that there is another round to be won. Period.

“After that, once that’s over, well, then you can sit back and look back at all those things that happened in the playoffs.”

Including his increasing reputation as the Oilers’ so-called Captain Clutch, as a couple of teammates have referred to him.

Consider this: In Edmonton’s 12 playoff victories this spring, Bouchard has either scored or set up the game-winning goal in nine of them. Coffey said legacies in the postseason are built by coming through at crunch time, a penchant Bouchard has embraced.

“I think it’s come because of his confidence,” Coffey said. “He hardly ever gets rattled, no matter what adversity may come. He wants to step up in those big moments, whereas a lot of guys shy away from them.”

Bouchard said he relishes those situations.

“I think part of it comes from preparation,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. And confidence in knowing what your game is all about.

“For me to have the success I have, it really comes down to team success. And the situations my teammates put you in. When you’re on a power play, for example, with the likes of Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, guys like that, you’re set up to succeed. You have to take advantage of the opportunity.”

The Oilers could see Bouchard’s potential when they selected him in the first round (No. 10) of the 2018 NHL Draft. The key goal for the Oilers brain trust then became finding a veteran mentor who could navigate him through the rocky times of inexperience and bring him to the next level.

General manager Ken Holland thought he’d found the perfect player to fill that role when he acquired former Chicago Blackhawks great Duncan Keith in a trade July 12, 2021.

When Keith decided to retire in the summer of 2022, however, it was time to find Bouchard another mentor.

Enter Mattias Ekholm.

According to Holland, the acquisition of the veteran defenseman as part of a trade that sent defenseman Tyson Barrie to the Nashville Predators on Feb. 28, 2023, helped Bouchard in two ways.

First off, it allowed Bouchard to take over the quarterback role on the team’s top power-play unit, replacing Barrie. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Ekholm, now 34, has served perfectly as Bouchard’s on-ice big brother, offering stability and support as his defense partner to enable him to elevate his game.

Now, more than 15 months later, Ekholm feels Bouchard has done exactly that.

“In my opinion, he’s one of the top five defensemen in the League,” Ekholm said.

“The offensive side, I mean, that speaks for itself. You guys can look at the numbers and stats, and there are a lot of guys that like that side of things. But the way he breaks out pucks, I’m amazed by it. He finds the middle so often -- he finds Connor almost every time -- I rarely have to go back there when we’re out there together.

“The other thing: He loves those big moments. You can’t teach those things. You have to come by that calmness naturally because you can’t teach those things.”

Add it all up, and Coffey feels Bouchard has only scratched the surface of his potential.

“His bar is limitless,” Coffey said.

Even if that means Bouchard might break some of his records?

“I hope he does,” Coffey said with a chuckle. “Because if he does, there’s a very good chance we’ll be celebrating something much bigger in the next few weeks.”

And in the end, that, Coffey said, is all that really matters.