Your Oilers don't deserve this Norris snub
Honestly though, you have to be kidding me with this. The NHL announced the Norris Trophy finalists yesterday, and our own Evan Bouchard, the Oilers' defensive dynamo, wasn't on the list. Erik Karlsson, Cale Makar, Roman Josi – all fine players, sure. But to leave Bouchard out? It's like serving up a plate of perogies at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village and forgetting the sour cream. It just doesn't compute.
Now, I've seen a few Oilers blueliners in my time, going all the way back to the days of Charlie Huddy and Paul Coffey. And while I'm not saying Bouchard is quite in Coffey's stratosphere yet – that's a theological discussion for another time – his offensive output this season was absolutely elite for a defenceman.
* **The Numbers Don't Lie:** Bouchard put up 82 points in 82 games. That's a point-per-game pace as a defenceman. * **Power Play Maestro:** He was the quarterback of one of the league's most potent power plays, consistently finding lanes and making plays. * **Defensive Improvement:** His defensive game, often critiqued in the past, took a noticeable step forward this year. He's not just an offensive specialist anymore.
The Norris is supposed to go to the "best defenceman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position." And while I acknowledge "all-round" is subjective, it seems to me that 82 points, while also significantly improving his play without the puck, screams "all-round ability" a little louder than some of the names who made the cut. It feels like the voters were watching the games from a cozy, non-Edmonton-winter-proof room, perhaps in a city that thinks -10°C is a "cold snap."
Edmonton doesn't need your approval. Never did. But a little recognition for one of our own wouldn't kill anyone. This is the kind of oversight that makes you want to take a long walk along the River Valley trails just to clear your head, or maybe just head down to Whyte Avenue and complain about it over a pint. What does this mean for us? It means we'll just have to win the Stanley Cup, and Bouchard will get his recognition on the biggest stage. That's the Edmonton way.
Darren Fedoruk, MiTL Sports Desk.
You know, the team at Morning Wire talks about these kinds of snubs all the time. Catch their take on it live at mornings.live.