2-3 years ago someone from another fan base came to the Oiler's reddit inquiring about Bear and his comparables. I described him as 'Barrie-lite'. How apt is that comparable?
He's so good. I'm glad I'm wrong about it. Can I be wrong about Jones now? (please, Hockey Gods).
He was only ‘further down the lineup’ on the fantasy lineups the tall foreheads on hfoil cook up. In other words, no relation to reality.I was initially one of the ones who thought Bear should have been traded for forward depth due to him being further down the D Depth line up
Jones' issue is that he has Klef and Nurse ahead of him and guys like Lagesson, Broberg and Samorukov coming for that last LHD spot. Jones had a poor camp but he can still be a good NHL player if he keeps putting in thew work. IMO the guys that felt that they were going to walk onto the Oilers because of last seasons accomplishments (Marody, Benson and Jones) all shat the bed in TC and as a result took a hit in terms of the organizational depth chart.
He played like a number 2 D last night. I'm really surprised by how solid he is along the boards. I'm also really starting to like this kid in general!Bear was unreal last night. In a game where everybody was fighting it including his D partner, Bear stood out in a big time way playing some really hard minutes. Not just his ability to skate the puck out of trouble (something so few Oiler Dmen over the years are capable of) and show great poise in the offensive zone (again, something so few Oiler Dmen are capable of) but his ability to defend top forwards, he owned the Schiefele line.
I don't want to go overboard with the praise as it's still early days in his development but we could have the makings of a top pairing with Nurse-Bear.
We could be singing a different tune later in the season if he hits a rookie wall but the arrows are pointing up, way up.
His ability to start the transition right away is impressive. Few times where we went from defense to offense quickly because of Bear
Would like to see him use his shot a bit more in the offensive end but that'll come
Would Ryan Ellis be a good comparable for his playstyle?
Perception prior to the season
Jones was heralded as the top prospect amongst Bear & Lagesson, and I think people had their money on him making the team. Personally, I felt that Jones has top 4 upside as a mobile 2-way D, and that Bear's upside was as a puck-moving 3rd pairing D who QB our PP1. I even threw Bear into trade proposals involving JP (what a mistake that was!).
Reality
As a result of Larsson's injury, Bear has been given top minutes playing against the opposing team's best players. He's also been used on our top PK unit, which has been very successful this season. He has the coach's trust (Tippett himself admitted that Bear is an excellent young defensemen).
Perception after 10 games
Nurse/Bear is a pairing that should not be broken up any time soon. At this point, we can't know for certain if Bear can keep this up over an entire 82 game season. However, his upside noticeably shifted. I don't like using the terms '#1' or '#2' to describe young D, but he seems to have that top pairing upside. The consistent nifty plays to gain possession in the D-zone and make crisp, accurate passes far outweighs the few minor mistakes he makes every night.
Going forward
- If Bear can become a top 4D, is it so crazy that Jones could be one too? (they actually had similar seasons last year)
- The rise of Bear gives Holland some interesting options. Larsson as trade bait at the end of the season? Hold onto Larsson and develop Bouchard more? (not that those are mutually exclusive)
- What kind of contract extension are we looking at? I think it'd be best to get him signed long-term as opposed to a bridge deal.
- We found a partner for Nurse, now we need to find a partner for Klefbomb.
I see Bear settling in as a really solid 2RD down the road. I am not convinced he is a true 1RD.
I still blame Tkachuk, the year he should have taken a step forward was a largely write off for him.Just depends on development.
To this point he is only a lil a head of guys like Davidson. Davidson just kept getting better and better until he didn't. Then he got worse.
I will say the same thing about Bear I did about Davidson at the approximately the same age/situation. He can absolutely become a #1. Just depends on his drive and development.
Realistically. I see him as having a higher ceiling than Davidson but that may be only a good #3 rather than a true top pairing. Klefbom, Nurse, Bear, and Bouchard. Larsson if he returns to form. Maybe Jones, Samourukov, and Broberg also may have #3 upside. A whole group 0f #3's would be very good in today's NHL. Much like we had in the 2016-2017 season.
Would Ryan Ellis be a good comparable for his playstyle?
He reminds me of Brian Rafalski.