He's only 22 years old and only played 28 NHL games. Defensemen can take long to adjust to the NHL.
His development by Lane and Lou has been horrible but can he really skate? He has shown no ability to skate or handle the puck well to my eyes
Some time ago before Bolduc reached the AHL, I had shared a story about playing some golf and being teamed up with a guy who’s son was in the QMJHL with Bolduc. He had a strong opinion that he didn’t see much in his game that would translate well in the NHL. Needless to say, me sharing this here didn’t go over well but I can see what he didn’t see in the player. I agree with those that feel he needs to play but with Lanes job dependent on making the playoffs and the isles needing every point there is no room for Bolduc errors
The issue with Bo is fans have placed some weird expectations on the player. He’s a 55 point player. Like a ton of UFAs, he played really darn well in his UFA year on a team going nowhere (ie he can be selfish for his own benefit). He does play a strong overall game in many situations, better than most.
Because they have been trying move Garland since the summer and are willing to eat 20% of the cap space to do so and still have not gotten a deal - also Garland has asked for trade and MGMT gave reps the permission to look for deal.
Putting some extra mustard on your narrative?
I think the team saw Bolduc has a cannon of a shot from the point, something Aho doesn’t have. Aho is supposed to be a puck mover, Bolduc would be the guy you want on the power play. Neither player has moved the needle.
Maybe this happens league wide, but why does this seem like it's ALWAYS an issue for the Islanders? No planning or direction for these younger players and then we leave them to rot in the press box.
Maybe it has nothing to do with AHO. They just want a cheap 7th defenseman on the roster. AHO usually gets the call unless there's need for a fill in. A lot of people woul like to see the team get an improvement over AHO, but I don't think it's Bolduc.
If the Isles continue to play the Barzal is the guy game, it’s gonna be a long 8 years, retool, rebuild, whatever. Ain’t nothing good gonna come from it.Putting some extra mustard on your narrative?
1. Jordan Eberle was not run out of town by fans. He was roundly criticized for being a perimiter player who went on long scoring droughts. He didn't "mesh" with Barzal any more or less than Anders Lee did. All 3 of them are streaky players and that still holds true for Eberle in Seattle.
2. Eberle wasn't traded off the Island. He was exposed to Seattle, along with Josh Bailey, in the expansion draft with the hope that they would take one of our $5 million salaries off our hands to give us some cap space. Shockingly the Kraken passed on Josh Bailey.
Look, I think Barzal is overrated and way overpaid too, but why make up stories to throw shade at Isles fans, which you have a weird fetish about.
In hindsight (and maybe well before that), Hutton would have been a better choice to be our extra big bodied 6/7 Dman. He is a guy that can pass back-and-forth through waivers without worrying about a claim. I don’t think the right vs left handedness should be a big factor here.
LOL. When Parrish was on the Islanders this board was in its infancy and nobody was watching the team.
Bolduc was also a combine star - he's got size, strength, and endurance. I understand wanting to keep that kind of guy around in case something clicks, and being worried it'll click when he gets picked up somewhere else. The thing is that you don't really see that athleticism in the way he skates.
Because you follow the Islanders. Look at the 2019 2nd round.
I forgot to mention Bolduc's size. And that's a great point you make about his skating. He doesn't have a burst of speed like Bo Horvat, or a choppy stride like Scott Mayfield. But I think he has tools to be a good NHL defenseman if given playing time to develop. Unfortunately this is a results league, and like Barry Trotz, Lambert gets paid to win games and he won't give a rookie extra rope.
Gotta disagree with you about McReynolds - he took a long time to get up to speed, and didn't get good reads. But he did play hard. Mets fans are famous (I'm one) for BS criticisms over 'effort'. The number of times I heard that Beltran didn't really care, etc. were so bizarre. He was probably the hardest working position player the mets ever had. It's a shame he played during that era.
This guy knows what he's talking about with this post. I'm retweeting.
I think Bolduc’s reads are slow. The game seems to materialize faster than he processes. The hesitancy is noticeable. I think that would go away with repetitions but he won’t get that here.
