Evan Bouchard's Point Deception in the 2024 Playoffs

The buildup of Evan Bouchard in his 2024 playoff run has been absolutely remarkable to watch. More so, given Bouchard's ability to work in tandem with his hands and his mind moving downhill in the offensive zone, he does this with such a calm demeanor. He's been the best defender thus far of the playoffs, given that deception to be a threat outside high danger ice, but also utilize other aspects of his offensive game that allow him to be dynamic.

Bouchard is a rover when it comes to skating, utilizing his lateral footwork and stops and starts effectively to maneuver at the point. A lot of Bouchard's efficiency comes from his ability to work the space between the offensive blue line and the top of the faceoff circles, where he doesn't necessarily bring dynamic feet like a Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar, but his ability to read through screens using his focus and leverage narrow seams for shot opportunities.

Bouchard's shot-first mentality upon retrieval makes him more deceptive at the point for multiple reasons:

1. He can be a threat off the pass, where he can catch and release instantly given his strength in his lower body to weight transfer
2. He can shoot off the pass with his eyes up, not needing an extra second to look down at the puck
3. He can utilize his vision to discipline how he wants to attack shot lanes, if it's closed (Hold onto the puck), if it's open (take the shot), if it's slightly narrow (Find a way to outmaneuver the defender and draw him out of position for a clearer shooting position)
4. The volume at which he can shoot allows him to be effective working the flanks, working downhill, and be effective near the top of the slot (Added bonus: His wrist shot has improved vastly since coming up from the AHL, his timing on his slapshot has been elite)

What's really noticeable is his ability to be a threat off the catch using his wrist shot, where he does a really effective job utilizing shot placement to beat goaltenders. He likes to keep his wrist shots mid-level, especially from the point, where it gives an opportunity for his Oilers teammates to redirect those pucks from a comfortable body position.

He is very effective with utilizing pre-scanning to identify the space he wants to attack through, which can allow him to open up those shot lanes from the point easier. Especially for defenders, understanding the next play when working from the point can allow them to work off instincts, making them recognize the space much easier. Bouchard is coming off the walls with more pace, he is attacking with more angular play to add variety moving east-west, and keeping his eyes up allows him to scan for lanes much easier.

Another thing that is really noticeable is Bouchard's discipline when it comes to managing shot lanes. That's a key skill to learn from. Sometimes, many defenders get trigger-happy and want to focus on shot quantity, not recognizing quality opportunities and conserving that energy for a time in the future. What Bouchard does is somewhat similar to Adam Fox, where he doesn't like to unnecessarily throw pucks towards the goal that don't actually end up there. A lot of his vision is based on timing. Where is the shot lane going to open? Is it moving laterally? Should I first outmaneuver this defender to get a clearer opportunity? How then should I attack the next play progression as I outmaneuver that defender?

That's a really rare quality to find in a defender, where it's first the calmness in his approach to manage the pace with ease. Then, it's actually understanding what to do with the puck at the point in those situations. It's fascinating to watch Bouchard work in those situations, because if a shot lane isn't clearly open enough to him, he isn't afraid to delegate a pass to one of his teammates for a better opportunity.

Add to Bouchard's toolkit how effective he is at utilizing more angular play moving downhill and working the flanks. He doesn't look to get off the wall moving along the perimeter and north, but rather looking to be involved directly in the play offensively. He has more assertiveness when it comes to managing play off the wall, more than ever throughout the playoff run the Oilers are having right now, and it's very clear to see when you watch a brief play of him offensively. A lot of his highlights have shown just that, and also in a variety of ways.

A very effective video here describes a lot of variety when it comes to Bouchard's point play: We see fakes, 10-2's, handling contact, handling sticks, using body positioning, leveraging space moving off the point/wall/middle of the ice, pinching coming downhill, offensive activation on possession sequences, and much more.

A lot more rush patterning goes into this as well, but Bouchard's ability to hold off contact with his poise, puck skill, and laser-focused vision help him be a unique threat maneuvering from the point. In a sense, Bouchard is essentially gaining more of a competitive advantage when it comes to understanding offensive zone sequences more, understanding how to manipulate pressure, and leverage the game to his ability.

In tandem with McDavid and then Draisaitl following, Bouchard currently ranks third in 2024 playoff points with 27 (6G, 21A) in only 18 games.

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