Edmonton Oilers insider Bob Stauffer has passionately made defenseman Evan Bouchard’s case for the Norris Trophy, given to the best defenseman in the league.

Bouchard is one of the most scrutinized players in the league, primarily for occasional defensive lapses and a perceived lack of urgency. Despite that, Stauffer thinks Bouchard can play in every situation.

In a recent appearance on the Frankly Hockey podcast hosted by Frank Seravalli, Stauffer expressed clear frustration with what he called outdated criticisms of Bouchard. He argued that risky plays and occasional turnovers from a few years back no longer hold up, given Bouchard’s growth and impact.

“Evan Bouchard plays in every situation. People have tired narratives from three years ago on Bouchard. You would think the last 3 years in the playoffs, they’d wake up and realize, ‘Holy crap this is the second highest-scoring points per defeceman in the game in NHL playoff history. He does it differently, it’s a little bit of a bias because we see guys that skate make plays, and thaat’s what Cale Makar does,” Stauffer said.

He added:

“Since the second week of November, the numbers overwhelmingly support that Bouchard should be in the mix for the Norris Trophy. Some people out East just don’t stay up and him play. Because I get exasperated and frustrated by it. I think its horse crap…”

Analyst Jason Strudwick believes Evan Bouchard should be a Norris Trophy finalist

During a recent segment of TSN OverDrive, analyst Jason Strudwick endorsed Evan Bouchard, stating he should be among the top three finalists for the Norris Trophy:

“He should at least be in the top three finalists. Listen, I’m not—when I’m lifting or trying to push Bouchard on you guys, it’s not that I’m pushing down Werenski; he’s must-watch TV for me… we know Cale Makar, all these guys,” Strudwick said.

He added:

“But, you know, I think there’s a bit of a bias there because of some of the narrative out there. But you look at some of his plays… I mean, you look at the last couple years, he’s been an absolute stud.”

Bouchard has accumulated 78 points through 19 goals and 59 assists in 69 games with a +20 rating.