Player Discussion Evan Bouchard

[oXo Cube]

Bouchard was the Oilers best player last night. Pretty easily.

Just incredible how the bUt HeS gOt No InTeNsItY crowd can ignore consistently elite results because they all think they're pro scouts for some reason.

 

[bobbythebrain]

Bouchard was worse than Nurse yesterday. Every time Bouchard has the puck I cringe/panic. I just pray he doesn't make a stupid turnover

This is a horrible take and factually false.

Bouchard was the teams best dman yesterday

Amazing how some ppl watch this game

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

This is a horrible take and factually false.

Bouchard was the teams best dman yesterday

Amazing how some ppl watch this game

Honestly I thought Ceci was the most "consistent" last night, which is both praise to him (most of his minuses were Nurse's fault) and an indictment of the rest of the group.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Ok Nurse may have been worse than Bouchard, I'll admit I jumped the gun, but to say he was the teams best d men is laughable.

Bouchard is constantly turning the puck over and making bad reads. His hockey IQ is awful

Bouchard's brain is his problem. He's got skill. But his hockey IQ is low. No way do I sign this guy for 8 plus million

This post is Bang on. People that don't see it do not have a good hockey mind

Every basic pass this guy makes just makes you cringe

 

[Broberg Speed]

It's the Bouchard brain virus... he's always the best player. lol

 

[booyakasha]

Last night Nurse was the worst Dman by far, but after that it was a toss up between Desharnais and Bouchard as the next worst.

 

[Broberg Speed]

Last night Nurse was the worst Dman by far, but after that it was a toss up between Desharnais and Bouchard as the next worst.

How dare you, Bouchard was the very best... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[bobbythebrain]

Honestly I thought Ceci was the most "consistent" last night, which is both praise to him (most of his minuses were Nurse's fault) and an indictment of the rest of the group.

Meh. I wouldn't go that far. While he did hit a post and wasn't at fault for many errors, his speed and decision making still handicaps the team. Passing it backwards consistently on a breakout is a negative or neutral play. His blueline touches usually end in nothingness as well.

Aside from a bad pinch yesterday, Bouch creates. He wasn't the culprit on many chances against and created waaaaaay more quality scoring chances. He put the puck in many tippable spots and set up several good scoring chances.

 

[bobbythebrain]

Ok Nurse may have been worse than Bouchard, I'll admit I jumped the gun, but to say he was the teams best d men is laughable.

Bouchard is constantly turning the puck over and making bad reads. His hockey IQ is awful


This post is Bang on. People that don't see it do not have a good hockey mind

Every basic pass this guy makes just makes you cringe

Calls an 80 point dman low IQ and calls posters who dont see it low hockey minds. Wow. Just clueless

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Meh. I wouldn't go that far. While he did hit a post and wasn't at fault for many errors, his speed and decision making still handicaps the team. Passing it backwards consistently on a breakout is a negative or neutral play. His blueline touches usually end in nothingness as well.

Aside from a bad pinch yesterday, Bouch creates. He wasn't the culprit on many chances against and created waaaaaay more quality scoring chances. He put the puck in many tippable spots and set up several good scoring chances.

Fair, bit Bouchard is just a much better player, but fair point.

 

[Broberg Speed]

Meh. I wouldn't go that far. While he did hit a post and wasn't at fault for many errors, his speed and decision making still handicaps the team. Passing it backwards consistently on a breakout is a negative or neutral play. His blueline touches usually end in nothingness as well.

Aside from a bad pinch yesterday, Bouch creates. He wasn't the culprit on many chances against and created waaaaaay more quality scoring chances. He put the puck in many tippable spots and set up several good scoring chances.

when the defenseman is still in the neutral zone when the Oilers get scored against something is f***ing wrong

 

[bobbythebrain]

Claims to know hockey then makes a statement like that

Pinching should happen all game. When teams play well several times a game a dman pushes to pinch and the winger or C drops to cover.

During the Oilers 16 game stretch many games were a product of sustained pressure w/ well timed pinches by Bouchard. Simultaneously, many pinches by him were 50/50 but a player dropped to cover.

It's not rocket appliances to realize not every pinch is gonna be a win. It's not rocket appliances to also realize his pinch yesterday was a very close 50/50 and a great play by the winger. His pinch the other nite against St Loiuis was just a bad luck play in which the ice that was decimating both teams was another bad bounce.
This doesn't mean a dmen should never pinch. Theres a big difference between the pinch Nurse tried and Bouchards

However, this coming from the guy who constantly thinks being a defensive defenseman is the BEST way to play the game. Hey guess what, the 2000s called. Maybe you should catch up

 

[Broberg Speed]

Claims to know hockey then makes a statement like that

Pinching should happen all game. When teams play well several times a game a dman pushes to pinch and the winger or C drops to cover.

During the Oilers 16 game stretch many games were a product of sustained pressure w/ well timed pinches by Bouchard. Simultaneously, many pinches by him were 50/50 but a player dropped to cover.

It's not rocket appliances to realize not every pinch is gonna be a win. It's not rocket appliances to also realize his pinch yesterday was a very close 50/50 and a great play by the winger. His pinch the other nite against St Loiuis was just a bad luck play in which the ice that was decimating both teams was another bad bounce.
This doesn't mean a dmen should never pinch. Theres a big difference between the pinch Nurse tried and Bouchards

However, this coming from the guy who constantly thinks being a defensive defenseman is the BEST way to play the game. Hey guess what, the 2000s called. Maybe you should catch up

We are going to get creamed in the playoffs playing that brand of non-hockey... you'd get destroyed in an all-star game. It's junk hockey.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Ok Nurse may have been worse than Bouchard, I'll admit I jumped the gun, but to say he was the teams best d men is laughable.

Bouchard is constantly turning the puck over and making bad reads. His hockey IQ is awful


This post is Bang on. People that don't see it do not have a good hockey mind

Every basic pass this guy makes just makes you cringe

Bouchard is a young D that has had to grow up playing on a team where the stud D are random molecules like Darnell Nurse. Until Ekholm he didn't even have a competent D role model here to learn from.

He's parlayed that to being a very valuable player and has quickly posited into core must retain player on the team. He's already passed the best Darnell Nurse has ever been.

The degree of flak this young player gets here is disgusting.

he's third in pts in the league among D, not far behind top. He's over PPG.!!!! We haven't seen that since Paul Coffey.

If Booch was playing on any other team people here would be drooling over him crying about why we can't have a D like that...


Booch is the single best story here since McD and Drai and Hyman and not even close.

 

[bobbythebrain]

Cale Makar, Dahlin and Adam Fox get caught up ice on alot of counter attacks also

I can think of ATLEAST 30 goals off the top of my head this year that came off a Bouchard pinch that he didn't get a point on.
However, when you don't understand hockey or just focus on isolated plays all the time, it's easy to see why these posts are redundant.

The game against StLouis was prime example. 2 great periods. 1 bad bounce for a goal against followed by about 7min of some bad . People that understood what they're watcing WON'T just isolate 7min of a 60min game.
Hockey is more than just cherry picking a few bad shifts

 

[gretzkyoilers]

Cale Makar, Dahlin and Adam Fox get caught up ice on alot of counter attacks also

I can think of ATLEAST 30 goals off the top of my head this year that came off a Bouchard pinch that he didn't get a point on.
However, when you don't understand hockey or just focus on isolated plays all the time, it's easy to see why these posts are redundant.

The game against StLouis was prime example. 2 great periods. 1 bad bounce for a goal against followed by about 7min of some bad . People that understood what they're watcing WON'T just isolate 7min of a 60min game.
Hockey is more than just cherry picking a few bad shifts

Also today with the bounces and more of a run and gun style that is prevalent this always happens. Bouchard rips one from the point can lead to a huge bounce and a chance the other way. It's a trade off and why there is Ekholm.

 

[Broberg Speed]

Oilers can't win in the playoffs against elite competition with Evan Bouchard playing 24 minutes a night.

They can beat an also-ran but they'll never defeat a skill-stocked team that's well coached in a 7 game series.

 

[Gunnersaurus Rex]

Oilers can't win in the playoffs against elite competition with Evan Bouchard playing 24 minutes a night.

They can beat an also-ran but they'll never defeat a skill-stocked team that's well coached in a 7 game series.

Agreed. Bouchard would be best as a 5-6 dman and the PP specialist that he is. Unfortunately, that won't happen here until the teams gets some real top 4 defenders.

 

[Dieseloil]

I think Bouchard can be a great offensive force and a horrible defender at the same time. This isn’t about pinching at the blueline, it’s about lazy coasting into the corner, wandering aimlessly in own end and almost zero physical play. You would think by now he would know his faults and have them mostly ironed out. Like Nurse, same mistakes game after game. Ya he’s great on PP, Whoopie.

 

[guymez]

Agreed. Bouchard would be best as a 5-6 dman and the PP specialist that he is. Unfortunately, that won't happen here until the teams gets some real top 4 defenders.

I think that we are watching Bouchard grow into a top pairing dman. Good for him and the team but IMO this wouldnt be happening at this time without Ekholm.

The problem as I see it is that Bouchard still has remnants of the game that saw him be a defensive liability prior to Ekholms arrival. That for me revolves around his puck managment and defensive decision making.
In those areas he is still a work in progress. He is going to make mistakes and Ekholm is exactly the right D partner to help with that. I expect he will improve even more as time moves forward.

The other thing for me is something thats not likely to change.
Bouchards lack of urgency while a gift offensively can be a detrement defensively. That is something we are just going to have to live with IMO.

 

[Broberg Speed]

I think that we are watching Bouchard grow into a top pairing dman. Good for him and the team but IMO this wouldnt be happening at this time without Ekholm.

The problem as I see it is that Bouchard still has remnants of the game that saw him be a defensive liability prior to Ekholms arrival. That for me revolves around his puck managment and defensive decision making.
In those areas he is still a work in progress. He is going to make mistakes and Ekholm is exactly the right D partner to help with that. I expect he will improve even more as time moves forward.

The other thing for me is something thats not likely to change.
Bouchards lack of urgency while a gift offensively can be a detrement defensively. That is something we are just going to have to live with IMO.

My worry is Bouchard is rubbing off on Ekholm more than Ekholm is rubbing off on Bouchard.

Ekholm was our only good defenseman.

 

[guymez]

My worry is Bouchard is rubbing off on Ekholm more than Ekholm is rubbing off on Bouchard.

Ekholm was our only good defenseman.

I dont think thats a concern.
Bouchard is still growing his game and Ekholm is a solid vet...he is more than mature enough to absorb Bouchards diminishing deficiencies.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

This is a horrible take and factually false.

Bouchard was the teams best dman yesterday

Amazing how some ppl watch this game

Nurse's pinch alone to cause the 4on1 makes him the worst D this game.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

I dont think thats a concern.
Bouchard is still growing his game and Ekholm is a solid vet...he is more than mature enough to absorb Bouchards diminishing deficiencies.

Ekholm also makes mistakes, his mistake in OT in St Louis would have people trying to trade Bouchard if he did it.

 

[Paralyzer008]

I'll tell you what - Bouchard generally owns the LA Kings, he owns a 1-3-1 - and he'll be our best D-man (again) if that's the series we get.

If you watched the game last night and the takeaway wasn't "Nurse needs to reign himself in" - you're probably bias, plain and simple. I think Bouchard had a few pinches he wants back - but the thing is with guys who make mistakes sometimes like him and Draisaitl - they can always redeem themselves offensively or through their puckmoving, and Oilers fans simply aren't grateful enough as a whole that we have an 80 POINT D-MAN for the first time since Coffey.

Oh, and Coffey? He was basically a forward. Imagine posters back then talking about his defense all the time.

Bouchard ain't perfect - but boy is he helpful.