Evan Bouchard has always been known for his ability to move the puck from the blue line. Four games into the 2026-27 season, the Edmonton Oilers defenseman is putting up the kind of scoring numbers the NHL has not seen from a blueliner in more than a century.
Bouchard scored twice and added an assist in Edmonton's 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night, giving him a league-leading six goals through four games. According to ESPN Insights, the only other defenseman to score that many through his first four games of a season was Harry Cameron in 1917-18, the very first year of the league's existence.
That puts Bouchard ahead of every forward in the league, including his own superstar teammates, in the early goal-scoring race.
Bouchard is also just the fifth defenseman in NHL history to record at least 10 points through his team's first four games. The last to do it was Morgan Rielly in 2018-19.
The fast start began on opening night, when Bouchard recorded a hat trick in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks. He became the first defenseman with an opening-night hat trick since Mark Howe in 1980. Two nights later, in a wild 9-7 win in the rematch, he scored once and added two assists to reach eight points through two games.
Wednesday's win was built on a dominant second period against Anaheim. Edmonton erased an early deficit with five goals in the frame, with Connor McDavid scoring once and adding two assists while Leon Draisaitl chipped in four helpers. Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin also scored, and Devon Levi made 28 saves in net.
The victory was Edmonton's third straight after a season-opening loss. With McDavid already at 12 points and Draisaitl stacking assists, the Oilers have no shortage of firepower. Still, Bouchard's production from the back end has given them another dimension that opponents will have trouble accounting for.
Whether he can sustain anything close to this pace remains to be seen
For now, though, Bouchard is in rare company, and his name now sits alongside one from the NHL's very first season. The Oilers visit the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.