Jekyll and Hyde- What should Edmonton do with Evan Bouchard?

[AmabileCassarole]

The bottom line is Edmonton is f***ed.

It'll make for a hell of a documentary someday. At least a few good books. It'll be up there with shit like WCW being sold to Vinny Mac for pennies on the dollar.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Should put this guy in as a winger. He is not a top-4 defenseman in the NHL. I highly doubt he'll ever be.

Neither is Ceci as a top 4 NHL dman. And that's where the problem lies, Ceci and Bouchard both playing top 4 minutes when they both are bottom pairing dmen. Add on top Dehainais who isn't even an NHL calibre dman and he's a regular in the Oilers lineup. Every dman 1-6 is playing 2 spots too high on the Oilers.

Kulak is fine though. Kulak is their 3rd best all round defender. Maybe even first as he's better defensively than Nurse.

 

[elitepete]

The problem with Edmonton isn’t Ceci or Bouchard or Kulak.

Nurse-X
Ekholm-Ceci
Kulak-Bouchard
Desharnais

The problem is that they need X to be a top 4 rd that can defend and move the puck. It would also move the others down. Someone like Pulock, Spurgeon, Pesce, Weegar, or Faulk would be perfect. But Tanev or Murphy would also suffice. Maybe even a Jensen or Walker.

 

[HockeyWooot]

The problem with Edmonton isn’t Ceci or Bouchard or Kulak.

Nurse-X
Ekholm-Ceci
Kulak-Bouchard
Desharnais

The problem is that they need X to be a top 4 rd that can defend and move the puck. It would also move the others down. Someone like Pulock, Spurgeon, Pesce, Weegar, or Faulk would be perfect. But Tanev or Murphy would also suffice. Maybe even a Jensen or Walker.

Addressing the back end should have been the Oilers top priority this off-season.

As a Canucks fan we know well what it's like to have a tire fire of a dcorps with several players in roles way beyond their capability (eg OEL, Myers, Bear/Schenn).

Allvin was able to drastically improve it in the past 12 months with Hronek, Cole, Soucy stabilizing the group along with a wider defence focused structure.

Still more work to be done before (need 2nd pair RD), but is definitely leaps and bounds better than before.

I think the Oilers can improve their group, but they need to take action now.

 

[HockeyWooot]

It's surprising how long Edmonton waited to get a guy like Ekholm. He is their #1D. If only Edmonton can find another Ekholm. On a true contender Ekholm is a #3D. He's a better version of Braydon McNabb but not by much.

I think there was a window where they could have considered trading RNH for a really good dman a legit no 2.

He's a great player but he's not been maximized at wing imo and could have been used to address more pressing needs.

 

[BB88]

The problem with Edmonton isn’t Ceci or Bouchard or Kulak.

Nurse-X
Ekholm-Ceci
Kulak-Bouchard
Desharnais

The problem is that they need X to be a top 4 rd that can defend and move the puck. It would also move the others down. Someone like Pulock, Spurgeon, Pesce, Weegar, or Faulk would be perfect. But Tanev or Murphy would also suffice. Maybe even a Jensen or Walker.

They didn’t draft Bouchard to address their top4 problem?

 

[Oleksiak]

They didn’t draft Bouchard to address their top4 problem?

He's not even a top 4 on a decent AHL team. Not sure why they drafted a guy who had zero chance of ever learning how to play defence.

 

[ccman68]

Should trade him for Barrie. Compared to Bouchard he might as well be slavin

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

I think there was a window where they could have considered trading RNH for a really good dman a legit no 2.

He's a great player but he's not been maximized at wing imo and could have been used to address more pressing needs.

Except you don’t trade 100 point players like RNH.

 

[Voight]

I thought that was a cup favourite lineup, what happened??

We were told that Toronto & Pittsburgh fans were wrong about Ceci, he's underrated.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Oilers should put the screws to Bouchard and make him pay attention to D. Bench him when he makes bonehead plays. Force him to learn the defensive side of the game.

At the moment, there is no consequences for atrocious play. Its that culture that is ruining the Oilers.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Bouchard is just like every other Oiler defender in that he would be much better if he had no defensive responsibilities.

 

[RickyLafleur]

Except you don’t trade 100 point players like RNH.

He will never get 100 points again, fluke year like Kadri.