Evan Bouchard's game takes a turn after major struggles to start this season

It's as though we've seen two different players, and for all intents and purposes, we have. In his first 10-games, Bouchard recorded 2.45 major mistakes on Grade A shots 5v5, but has improved to under two in the last 10-games.

For a player prone to error, this is encouraging. These last ten games have been a complete turnaround.

During this recent stretch, Evan has recorded 2G and 10A and is a plus-4, and has not recorded negative plus/minus since that team-wide disaster against the Avalanche on Nov. 8.

Bouchard's egregious giveaways have been far less, has been a reliable presence in the D-zone, and according to Natural Stat Trick, leads all NHL defensemen with 10 takeaways.

Bouchard's 12 points over the last 10 games are only behind Miro Heiskanen and Cale Makar's 13 points for a defenseman.

Now, for a team to win, contributions must come from all areas; but to be getting elite production from the team's top defenseman is a cause for celebration.

The Oilers are 5-3-2 in its last ten, for a .600 winning %. They've outscored the opposition as a whole in that period, while creating grade A chances at a higher rate than the first 10.

Evan Bouchard is now leading the charge for the D-core, and is setting the standard that was not being met early on. It's now a question of consistency. If he can do that, the Oilers will continue to compete at a high level.