Does defenseman Evan Bouchard receive too much blame?
Bouchard is an offensive defenseman who got off to a slow start, while his defensive game is very under-appreciated. The 23-year-old can be shaky in his own end, but the stats show he has an elite ability to break the puck out and produce scoring chances.
According to pro hockey analysts Andy & Rono, Bouchard is a legit top pairing defender, and his two-way game isn't as weak as originally thought, specifically, his transition play.
''We saw a lot of bad comments about Evan Bouchard (again). We disagree with them. He's been great player for last three seasons already. Yes, he's making some mistakes, but everyone does. Overall, he's legit TOP pairing-defenseman for us.''
It's obvious that veteran Duncan Keith was a massive part of Bouchard's upswing in defensive impact during the second half of last season. However, the youngster is slowly turning things around this season.
Through 27 games, Bouch has recorded three goals and eight assists, with a minus-11 rating, 62 shots and 44 hits.
