It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a Canucks’ prospect pool in possession of good forwards, must be in want of a defenceman.
Apologies for appropriating Jane Austen, but it is absolutely true: the Canucks’ biggest need heading into the 2018 NHL Draft is on defence. More than that, they need something specific from their defence: offence.
If that seems oxymoronic, it’s because defencemen are poorly named. The position they play isn’t just to prevent offence from the opposition, but to also provide offence at the other end. It’s been proposed in the past to borrow from soccer and call them “backs,” which parallels the “forwards.” Others suggest bringing back the position of “rover.” My suggestion to call them “left guy” and “right guy” was derided by all.
Perhaps we should just stick with the name “defencemen” and trust that our brains are big enough to embrace the paradox.
If the Canucks need offence from their defence, then it would make a certain amount of sense to draft the defenceman who provided the most offence in the 2017-18 season: Evan Bouchard.
Bouchard was a beast in the OHL, leading the London Knights in scoring with 25 goals and 87 points in 67 games. The next best player on his team had 54 points. If that seems like a lot of points for a defenceman, that’s because it is. Bouchard led all defenceman and was 8th in the OHL in points.
In fact, Bouchard’s 87 points was the 25th best season by a defenceman in the OHL and the best by a first-time draft-eligible defencemen since Ryan Ellis in the 2008-09 season. Ellis had 22 goals and 89 points in 57 games that season.
It’s no wonder scouts are excited about Bouchard. Of the major draft rankings, International Scouting Services has him highest at 6th overall, but The Hockey News and Bob McKenzie both have him at 7th.
There are some who don’t believe as much in Bouchard, however, notably Corey Pronman at The Athletic, who ranked him 17th, and Cam Robinson at Dobber Prospects, who ranked him 15th.
Let’s start with the positives for Bouchard, and how he got his gaudy statistics. Bouchard has a cannon of a slap shot, but is adept at getting his shot on net in multiple ways. He’s able to shorten the backswing on his slap shot to get it away more quickly, fake a shot and open up a lane for his wrist shot, or quickly release an accurate snap shot, depending on the situation.
Bouchard clearly loves to shoot the puck, and led all OHL defencemen with 4.43 shots per game. That was good for sixth in the OHL, with Canucks prospect Jonah Gadjovich one of the five forwards ahead of him.
More dangerous than his shot, however, is his passing ability. He might be the best passer in the draft, whether making a stretch pass to break out of the zone or setting up a teammate for a scoring chance in the offensive zone. It’s not just that Bouchard has great vision, but that he is calm and poised with the puck, choosing the right moment to find a teammate with a pass instead of rushing the play.
The combination of Bouchard’s shot and passing made him an excellent power play quarterback for the Knights. At the blue line, Bouchard looks like an NHL defenceman, using fake shots and quick shifts of weight to open up passing and shooting lanes.
Bouchard is also fond of joining the rush and has good speed in transition. He uses a good chance of pace and plus stickhandling to beat defenders and create odd-man rush situations. The Knights were clearly dependent on Bouchard, as he devoured minutes, frequently playing more than half the game. He played in all situations.
The biggest issue with Quinn Hughes and Adam Boqvist, the other two offensive defencemen expected to go in the top-ten, is their lack of size. That’s not an issue for the 6’3”, 190+ lbs Bouchard. While he prefers to use his stick over his body defensively, taking advantage of his long reach, he has the size to win puck battles down low.
Unfortunately, there are some negatives to Bouchard’s game.
Undersized offensive defencemen always have the defensive side of their game questioned, but the same questions need to be asked of Bouchard. At times, it’s difficult to tell the difference between calmness and nonchalance when it comes to Bouchard, and some scouts wanted to see a little more compete from him in the defensive zone. While he has a good stick defensively, he’s sometimes too dependent on it, when he could more effectively take advantage of his size.
While Bouchard has great offensive instincts, his hockey sense in the defensive zone can be lacking. He has a tendency to get pulled out of position and sometimes struggles to identify dangerous plays as they develop. As a result, Bouchard is sometimes left standing still while a scoring chance happens right in front of him.
That said, Bouchard generally keeps a good gap on offensive rushes and uses good stick positioning to force forwards to the outside. Once the puck is in the defensive zone, though, he
has a tendency to coast instead of actively engaging his man. One reason for this may be the sheer number of minutes he logs; he needs to conserve his energy and pick his spots.
The other issue that has been talked about a lot with Bouchard is his skating. Opinions seem to be divided: some scouts describe his skating as smooth and effortless, while others criticize his awkward stride. Certain scouts downplay his skating issues by pointing out the way Bouchard slows the game down to his own pace.
Harman Dayal at CanucksArmy did a comprehensive breakdown of Bouchard’s skating that highlighted why there might be so much disagreement. Bouchard clearly can create good north-south speed through the neutral zone, but his acceleration, edgework, and east-west mobility are lacking.
Those issues with his skating may be a hindrance at the NHL level. If he can’t create separation with his acceleration, will he be able to join the rush as effectively? Will he get beat to the outside by NHL-caliber forwards who take advantage of his slower pivots?
Those might be issues smoothed out with some extensive work with a skating coach, but it’s one of the reasons why an 87-point defenceman isn’t a lock to be a top-five pick.
Whether you feel the Canucks should take Bouchard likely depends on what you like to see in a defenceman. With Bouchard’s skillset and right-handed shot, he seems like a natural fit for the Canucks’ power play. For others, his size will make them feel more comfortable than his fellow offensive defencemen Hughes and Boqvist.
The Canucks themselves might be attracted to his character and leadership, as well as the fact that he might be the most NHL-ready defenceman not named Rasmus Dahlin. With an October birthday, Bouchard is one of the older players in the draft and could be ready to step into an NHL lineup right away.
In any case, the Canucks will have to make some sort of decision on Bouchard. While players like Hughes and Oliver Wahlstrom have a decent chance of being taken ahead of the seventh overall pick, Bouchard will most likely still be available.
