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Player Discussion Evan Bouchard

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Duke74 said:
If he stays healthy and on the first PP unit all year, he will blow that out of the water.
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Yep, he certainly may hit 80, or even higher. I still wish he had the other stuff. But then, what would we do with two $9.5M dmen. :D
 
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oXo Cube said:
He's about to drop an 80 point season to go along with dominant goal shares and this board will still be full of people posting one off clips where he loses his man on some random play in a game the Oilers win 7-1.
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There are going to be lots of plays, many of them not in 7-1 wins. If you don't see his deficiencies, you aren't watching.
 
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Slats432 said:
Ok, I will say it. Bouchard has some skills. His passing is elite. His shot is elite.

I will also say that he can never become a number one D without more heart/compete/intensity (Pick your favourite word) and a better defensive thought process. He drives me nuts. Giveaways, poor defending and decision making.

Thank goodness he will give us 50-60 points.
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How many elite offensive defensemen are also elite defensively? The list is very small. He needs a rock like Ekholm on his pairing and Nurse needs one on his pairing. That's just the reality of the players that we have IMO.
 
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Bryanbryoil said:
How many elite offensive defensemen are also elite defensively? The list is very small. He needs a rock like Ekholm on his pairing and Nurse needs one on his pairing. That's just the reality of the players that we have IMO.
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He fills an important role on this team. No dispute. But that will not prevent him from driving me crazy from time to time.
 
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Slats432 said:
He fills an important role on this team. No dispute. But that will not prevent him from driving me crazy from time to time.
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Definitely agree to this. In a perfect world we'd have our own Makar or Josi. Unfortunately there are very few D like that in this league.
 
Bryanbryoil said:
Definitely agree to this. In a perfect world we'd have our own Makar or Josi. Unfortunately there are very few D like that in this league.
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Yep, and certainly could be worse, Dobson is not as good offensively and not much better defensively. Some rankings had Smith right there as well as Merkley and Miller. Where we selected Bouchard was the best pick. If he could polish the other parts of his game I would be ecstatic.
 
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Bryanbryoil said:
How many elite offensive defensemen are also elite defensively? The list is very small. He needs a rock like Ekholm on his pairing and Nurse needs one on his pairing. That's just the reality of the players that we have IMO.
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Bouchard can be a big liability in Dzone
Thank god for Power Plays
 
I fully expect Bouchard to finish amongst the Leagues elite in production this year. Over a PPG is not out of the question with his offensive ability and the opportunity the Oilers will afford him. That being said, the knocks against his game PRE-DRAFT are still there, and are almost comically accurate about his game:

“ Bouchard also needs to continue to work on his footwork. He can sometimes get beat by quick and agile forwards in one-on-one situations.”

5 years post draft and this is still a glaring issue. A glaring issue that could sink us in the playoffs. Is this something the Oilers can coach or develop out of his game? With 5 years of development you’d hope there’d be some progress on this front.
 
larek said:
Bouchard can be a big liability in Dzone
Thank god for Power Plays
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He can also provide offense when things are tight from his passing on the offensive zone, break away passes and shot. You can teach defense, not everyone has the offensive tools that he possesses.
 
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Bouchard defends like garbage when theres no urgency or intensity to his game. Its hard to fault him because that’s Edmonton Oilers hockey. He probably gets reprimanded if he was to put in effort. What if he makes others look bad? Holloway plays hard and because of this, he never gets moved up. Bouchard playing the long game.
 
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Slats432 said:
https://x.com/thackattack41/status/1715446386303574120?s=20 This is exactly what I am talking about.
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Just brutal... everybody stopped skating there. Drai also stopped early too, if he cuts across toward the passer maybe he actually had a chance of narrowing the passing lane.

Bouchard obviously was worse... totally clueless to the guy streaking behind him, gets caught in no-mans land and fails to even try to skate hard enough to get a hook on the guy.

Campbell bit hard on the first move, that's partial error, the kind that definitely happens, even to the best goalies out there... but even if he makes the save, Bouchard would not have been in position to impact clearing the rebound.

As I mentioned in another thread, discussing with @Fourier ... on that breakaway Campbell can see his team quit on him in his peripheral vision. It's really tough to keep your concentration when you see that... there's just no excuse for quitting.
 
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bucks_oil said:
Just brutal... everybody stopped skating there. Drai also stopped early too, if he cuts across toward the passer maybe he actually had a chance of narrowing the passing lane.

Bouchard obviously was worse... totally clueless to the guy streaking behind him, gets caught in no-mans land and fails to even try to skate hard enough to get a hook on the guy.

Campbell bit hard on the first move, that's partial error, the kind that definitely happens, even to the best goalies out there... but even if he makes the save, Bouchard would not have been in position to impact clearing the rebound.

As I mentioned in another thread, discussing with @Fourier ... on that breakaway Campbell can see his team quit on him in his peripheral vision. It's really tough to keep your concentration when you see that... there's just no excuse for quitting.
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It's all talk and a terrible culture. That's basically it. You should be hustling like crazy, just in case even.
 
Pooshart needs to be dropped from the PP and down to 3rd pairing. The PP is gravy time that should be earned. He's the worst defenceman on the team.
 
guymez said:
Multiple players quit on that play. In the end Bouchard was the closest skater to the puck carrier.
Inexcusable.

That single goal may well encapsulate the issue with this entire team.
What an embarrassment.
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It was more than that. First couple steps backwards lazy. Didn't maintain proper gap. Went to the outside (inexplicably), opened gap more for the pass, lost his man, and THEN gave up on the play.

nasty.gif
 
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guymez said:
No disputing that video evidence.
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And I like Bouchard, but there was a poster above who said something about putting up a random Bouch clip in a 7-1 Oiler win. This was a 2 goal game with an excellent partner when the team was 1-2 in October. If the Oilers are 37-10-3 in January, and up 5-1, I say, who gives a shit. :D
 
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mkatcherin00 said:
It's all talk and a terrible culture. That's basically it. You should be hustling like crazy, just in case even.
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Exactly... always, always, always...

Players on a breakaway feeling the pressure of the chase and players "in free" behave in very different ways. Even if a defender can get a stick visible to the player, it limits his options and increases the goalie's odds proportionately.

We have to stop evaluating players based on "give more than they take" and start evaluating them based on "give all that they can".

Bouchard is the major goat on that one, but after the turnover, three strides was also all it took for Drai to have a stick in the passing lane too... the same three strides he decided weren't worth his effort after HE fumbled the puck. Maybe he wouldn't/couldn't get there, but how do you know if you don't try?

Nobody has the cajones to call these guys out. Maybe Smith did... that's why they played better (more honest) for him.
 
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This guy looks like he needs to go to the bench and have a nap every time he’s about to get into any kind of battle for the puck. Hasn’t changed at all the entire time he’s been in the NHL

Starting to think it would’ve been better off just keeping Barrie and trading this guy for some kind of value
 
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