Oakville's Evan Bouchard Leads the NHL in Goals

Oakville's Evan Bouchard leads every skater in the NHL in goals five games into the season, and he is a defenceman.

Through Edmonton's first five games, Bouchard has six goals and six assists. Those six goals lead the league outright, forwards included, and his 12 points sit one behind teammate Connor McDavid for the overall scoring lead.

His biggest night so far came in a 5-2 comeback win on Wednesday, when he scored twice, including the game winner.

A defenceman producing at this rate is rare enough that the math turns silly. Stretched across a full season, his current pace works out to 202 points, which nobody is predicting. The number worth watching is 100. Bouchard finished last season with 95 points, and the NHL added two games to the schedule this year.

No defenceman has reached 100 points since Erik Karlsson did it with San Jose in 2022-23, the season Karlsson won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenceman. Bouchard has never won one. Five games is a small sample, but it is the kind of start that puts a name in the Norris conversation by spring.