Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard has reached superstar status this postseason. He has been a major reason that Edmonton has made their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006. He even has a chance to break longstanding postseason records. But Oilers legend Paul Coffey wants his blueliner to keep his focus.
Coffey is more than familiar with the position Bouchard is in. In fact, no defenseman has scored more playoff points in Edmonton history than Coffey. The Hockey Hall of Famer is currently an assistant coach with the team. And he believes that now is not the time to get caught up in the significance of these numbers.
“None of those things matter,” Coffey told NHL.com Friday. “Not right now. Numbers are great, but the goal is bigger than that. He would be the first to tell you that. All that matters is what happens from here on in. Win four more games and then there’s plenty of time to look back at the stats.”
Evan Bouchard chases history
Bouchard has already climbed up leaderboards this postseason. For instance, he is the third-fastest defender to reach 50 career playoff points, behind Brian Leetch and Bobby Orr, according to NHL.com. Furthermore, he is the third-highest-scoring Oilers defender in the playoffs, behind Charlie Huddy and Paul Coffey.
That said, Bouchard could certainly make history in the Stanley Cup Final. The 24-year-old has 27 points through the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If he scores 10 points in the Final, he will tie the record for most points by a defenseman in a single postseason. Coffey currently holds the record with 37 points in 1985.
There is another, potentially more attainable record for Bouchard to reach as well. 21 of his 27 points are assists. If the Oilers rearguard dishes out another five assists, he will break the single postseason record. This mark is also held by Coffey, who recorded 25 assists in the 1985 playoffs.
“The thing about 1985, the only thing that mattered, was that we won the Stanley Cup,” Coffey said, via NHL.com. “Evan feels the same way about this year. There will be plenty of time to look at numbers, stuff like that when it’s over. We have a chance at this. What matters is how he and we play moving forward.”
Oilers defenseman reacts
Evan Bouchard spoke at Stanley Cup Final Media Day on Friday. The comparisons to all-time greats such as Paul Coffey were brought up. The 24-year-old did admit the comparisons would get to him if he gave it a ton of thought. So, for now, he agrees with his coach that the bigger prize should be the main focus.
“It’s cool to hear you being talked about in the same conversations with some of the all-time greats, but there’s still another round to go and that’s the focus,” the 24-year-old said, via NHL.com. “So the bigger picture here is that there is another round to be won. Period. After that, once that’s over, well, then you can sit back and look back at all those things that happened in the playoffs.”
Bouchard and the Oilers made the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night. They defeated the Dallas Stars in six games in the Western Conference Finals. They will now take on the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers for hockey's biggest prize. Game 1 between these teams takes place on Saturday night in Florida.
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