The Edmonton Oilers entered the 2025-26 season with championship expectations following two deep playoff runs through the Stanley Cup Final in the past two seasons, but their campaign ended earlier than anticipated with a first-round exit.
Despite the Oilers' early crash-out, defenseman Evan Bouchard turned into one of their top performers and delivered a career year in Edmonton.
Bouchard was among the NHL's most productive defensemen in 2025-26, finishing with 95 points in 82 games while posting a plus-25 rating and averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time per game.
However, when the Norris Trophy finalists were announced on Thursday, Bouchard’s name was not included alongside those of Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar, Buffalo Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin, and Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski.
Speaking after the announcement in an interview with TSN, Bouchard addressed his snub from the three-man shortlist and acknowledged his disappointment. That said, he noted the league’s depth at the position as the main reason for missing out.
“When I saw that come out, I was definitely upset a little bit,” Bouchard said. “But you can’t really let that bother you. You don’t really think about it too much during the season. You’ve got a bigger picture, a team thing.
“So yeah, I didn’t think about it too much until it came out today. It stings a little bit, but you know what? You get back at it. You forget about it. And there are a lot of great defensemen in the league, so it’s kind of hard to pick between three of them.”
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Bouchard led the league in scoring among defensemen and was key for Edmonton's power-play unit.
For context, Dahlin finished the season with 74 points, Makar with 79, and Werenski with 81. None of the three finalists topped Bouchard's total points nor assists, while only Werenski (22) bested Bouchard's 21 goals this season.
The Norris Trophy winner will be announced at the NHL awards ceremony at some point in mid-June.
