Last year was a complicated one for Bichsel. I didn’t love his decision to bail on Texas to join a Rogle team in flux (a Rogle team that fired its coach and general manager shortly after he joined them). While he played big minutes there, I would have liked to see him grind through it on the smaller ice surface in the AHL. But this one has been positive in his return to North America. He’s playing 20 minutes per game with Texas, including a leading role on the penalty kill and spot usage on the power play. His defensive results have been strong at five-on-five and some of the warts that have existed in his game have begun to smooth out.
Bichsel is a towering defenseman who moves well. I’ve sometimes felt like he has struggled with his identity across levels, playing a different style from one to the next, but he seems to have a better sense now of what he’s going to be in the NHL (he has to be a standout in-zone and rush defender whose focus is on establishing a presence and command against opposing carriers).
He’s an extremely heavy player but because he doesn’t lumber around a ton (though he still does at times) and he’s fairly comfortable carrying the puck (both in transition and across the line), there’s some real upside. Bichsel defends the rush, the cycle and the net well, and while I’d like to see him closer quicker at times he has made progress there and his in-zone strength and presence will always be his calling card. Some sloppiness can develop in his game when the play caves in on him and the pace ramps up, though, and I’ve worried about just how big he already is at times (though he has stabilized his weight in the mid-20s after getting up into the 230s) and some of the challenges his game and later his body might face over time.
There are more and more games in which he looks like a beast at both ends and shows comfort skating and handling the puck for a player his size. And there are fewer and fewer where he looks hectic and scrambled and a step behind because he’s chasing, which is positive. He’s still got work to do on his pivots and some other things to really refine it all but he’s got the makings of a really unique NHL defenseman. Taking his time, even as he starts to feel closer to the NHL ready, will be key. Development should still be his focus because he’s made important progress.
