Post-Game Talk: Skinner with the shut- PSYCH!

[K1984]

I think the biggest hurdles for this team are Vegas and Florida.

Whether Florida can get there for a third year I don’t know.

I’m not sure which team scares me in the Central if any. Oilers have terrible luck with Minnesota in the regular season but not sure if it would translate to playoffs. I personally don’t see them surviving 2 rounds through the Central.

I think Vegas is going to be a problem though. I think it would be nice if Edmonton could finish first and let LA/Vegas grind it out. But I’m not sure how plausible that is. Vegas has a pretty easy schedule and they don’t lose to bottom feeders much. Vegas having an easier first round and Edmonton going through LA again aint great for the long term.

I'm with you.

The only two teams that have the personnel and a structure that can consistently frustrate and clog up the Oilers offence with any consistency are Vegas and Florida. If we play these two teams and lean towards perimeter play at all, we simply won't score goals. It's hard work to play in the middle against these two teams, and sometimes working hard and simplifying to play in the middle doesn't come easy to us.

In the Finals losses against the Panthers and the last few losses against Vegas they both seem to approach us with a "bend don't break" mentality. They'll be more than fine allowing us the zone time because they're comfortable in their ability to limit space to the outside. All they have to do is eliminate rush chances, then wait for their chance on a turnover or power play.

A simplified approach to o-zone possession is something we need to work on going into the playoffs. We broke the Panthers by sending a zone blower up ice and punting the puck so they couldn't pin us in our end and catching them on rushes. All until Game 7 when they eased off the forecheck and killed our stretch breakouts.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I think the biggest hurdles for this team are Vegas and Florida.

Whether Florida can get there for a third year I don’t know.

I’m not sure which team scares me in the Central if any. Oilers have terrible luck with Minnesota in the regular season but not sure if it would translate to playoffs. I personally don’t see them surviving 2 rounds through the Central.

I think Vegas is going to be a problem though. I think it would be nice if Edmonton could finish first and let LA/Vegas grind it out. But I’m not sure how plausible that is. Vegas has a pretty easy schedule and they don’t lose to bottom feeders much. Vegas having an easier first round and Edmonton going through LA again aint great for the long term.

Most cup winners in recent history are sated for at least the next season. Outside of pandemic complication only one SC champ has repeated since 1999. Parity has something to do with that within hard cap NHL as well. Remove SC motivation and award it and the team receiving it generally takes the next season differently. They don't have the same desire to die for the prize. I'd worry about Florida more next season if they keep it together. Agree with you in Minny. I don't know how they would be able to handle us in a series. Don't think they can. Vegas has some moxy, they could be difficult. Jets hard to say. Is Colorado back or not? Too early to say. Caps kind of intrigue me. Would love to see an Oilers-Caps final. I don't see anybody else in the East compelling. We'd destroy Jersey. I think people are sleeping on the caps because its something newly re-emerged. Its a good lineup. I think they could take out Florida for us. We would beat Florida in a rematch anyway.

 

[K1984]

Sure those numbers look good at a glance. But the sad part is despite those numbers you show. Skinner is still ranked 39th in save percentage and 34th in GAA. So he is right at the bottom for nhl starting goalies unfortunately

Yet the Oilers are somehow 1st in the NHL in team SV% since November 23rd with him playing most of the games.

Almost like he started terribly which impacted his total year statistics, but turned it around has been playing solid hockey for nearly two consecutive months since.

 

[jesusbuiltmyhotrod]

The west will be tough to get out of again I see Dallas as a tough opponent too they will be motivated to beat us… but you need to beat the best to be the best

 

[K1984]

The west will be tough to get out of again I see Dallas as a tough opponent too they will be motivated to beat us… but you need to beat the best to be the best

They still could change their dynamic before the playoffs, but the Stars don't scare me at all. If anything they're almost the perfect opponent for us. They have a weak defence group and a non-physical rush based offence.

The following teams are the ones that give me pause:

Vegas - they know how to defend us and can execute on it

Florida - see above, but to a much lesser degree

Avalanche - I think their speed/transition game would be ripe to expose some of our riskiness with the puck high in the zone, and they could pull us out of a structure we excel at and turn it into a track meet which could turn games into circus style toss ups

That's really it to be honest. I think we beat almost any other opponent more times than not.

 

[jesusbuiltmyhotrod]

They still could change their dynamic before the playoffs, but the Stars don't scare me at all. If anything they're almost the perfect opponent for us. They have a weak defence group and a non-physical rush based offence.

The following teams are the ones that give me pause:

Vegas - they know how to defend us and can execute on it

Florida - see above, but to a much lesser degree

Avalanche - I think their speed/transition game would be ripe to expose some of our riskiness with the puck high in the zone, and they could pull us out of a structure we excel at and turn it into a track meet which could turn games into circus style toss ups

That's really it to be honest. I think we beat almost any other opponent more times than not.

No doubt this team can beat anyone. It’s hard to get to the finals two years in a row wish they finished the job last year lol

 

[oobga]

I’ve watched playoffs since before you were born. The past doesn’t matter, the time is now. His offensive numbers were never the issue although he misses the net like no one’s biz. We are in win now mode and if he thinks he’s worth anywhere near 10 it’s pathetic. Contract year is when the pros play like pros.

Every player is different. Some guys buckle a bit under the contract year pressure, some ONLY play for the contract year and then vanish, which is IMO the worst kind of player. Shesterkin is another guy that totally buckled this season with the contract distraction. Still got paid of course, cause NYR needs him, badly. We need Bouch playing like he last in the last 2 playoff years as well. We don't even get past Vancouver without him last year.

He's struggling a bit, we're still winning, he's still pushing play all night with breakouts. His level of talent is still there and he is going to get paid, without a doubt. We've waited a long time to get this kind of player, and there is no way Bowman would let him go. Just gotta hope he's one of those guys that gets better when the off-ice pressures are no longer a distraction.

 

[Ibanez]

I’ve watched playoffs since before you were born. The past doesn’t matter, the time is now. His offensive numbers were never the issue although he misses the net like no one’s biz. We are in win now mode and if he thinks he’s worth anywhere near 10 it’s pathetic. Contract year is when the pros play like pros.

His shot is so off this year. It feels a lot like confidence.

He’s missing the net more than ever it seems

I think I saw a blurb about Coffey calling him the shin pad assassin this year?

In my eyes he’s not worth 10 the way he is playing. I really hope he amps it up. we need it!!

Every player is different. Some guys buckle a bit under the contract year pressure, some ONLY play for the contract year and then vanish, which is IMO the worst kind of player. Shesterkin is another guy that totally buckled this season with the contract distraction. Still got paid of course, cause NYR needs him, badly. We need Bouch playing like he last in the last 2 playoff years as well. We don't even get past Vancouver without him last year.

He's struggling a bit, we're still winning, he's still pushing play all night with breakouts. His level of talent is still there and he is going to get paid, without a doubt. We've waited a long time to get this kind of player, and there is no way Bowman would let him go. Just gotta hope he's one of those guys that gets better when the off-ice pressures are no longer a distraction.

Thankfully his breakout passing has still been pretty good

 

[bone]

They still could change their dynamic before the playoffs, but the Stars don't scare me at all. If anything they're almost the perfect opponent for us. They have a weak defence group and a non-physical rush based offence.

The following teams are the ones that give me pause:

Vegas - they know how to defend us and can execute on it

Florida - see above, but to a much lesser degree

Avalanche - I think their speed/transition game would be ripe to expose some of our riskiness with the puck high in the zone, and they could pull us out of a structure we excel at and turn it into a track meet which could turn games into circus style toss ups

That's really it to be honest. I think we beat almost any other opponent more times than not.

The one thing that scares me a little with Dallas is that they have all of Seguin's cap hit to add at the deadline and he's likely going to be back well before we'd be facing them if they ultimately come out of the Central.

Last year, I think the biggest swing was that they only had 4 dmen they could trust to play and their 6th was pretty much unusable. If they use Seguin's hit to round out that defense corps, that could swing the series. That said, Dumba hasn't looked much better than Suter so maybe they need more work to bolster that defense than they can pull off.

Avalanche also scares me a bit less than they do you, mostly because of their depth has shrunk over the last couple years, and Nichushkin is bound to slip up in the playoffs again and literally disapper. That said with their improved goaltending, that may change.

Winnipeg, it all comes down to Hellebuyck. If we got the Hellebuyck that showed up the last time we played them in playoffs, that's a tough out. If it's the Hellebuyck that shows up against literally everyone else then we're fine. That said, they need two good series by him before we'd face them anyways so by that point he could be softened up a bit.

 

[K1984]

The one thing that scares me a little with Dallas is that they have all of Seguin's cap hit to add at the deadline and he's likely going to be back well before we'd be facing them if they ultimately come out of the Central.

Last year, I think the biggest swing was that they only had 4 dmen they could trust to play and their 6th was pretty much unusable. If they use Seguin's hit to round out that defense corps, that could swing the series. That said, Dumba hasn't looked much better than Suter so maybe they need more work to bolster that defense than they can pull off.

Avalanche also scares me a bit less than they do you, mostly because of their depth has shrunk over the last couple years, and Nichushkin is bound to slip up in the playoffs again and literally disapper. That said with their improved goaltending, that may change.

Definitely fair on both fronts.

I'm resting on the assumption that there aren't any home run D men available that will meaningfully improve the Star's D situation, but you never know what teams might be able to swing.

 

[TheNumber4]

I'm with you.

The only two teams that have the personnel and a structure that can consistently frustrate and clog up the Oilers offence with any consistency are Vegas and Florida. If we play these two teams and lean towards perimeter play at all, we simply won't score goals. It's hard work to play in the middle against these two teams, and sometimes working hard and simplifying to play in the middle doesn't come easy to us.

In the Finals losses against the Panthers and the last few losses against Vegas they both seem to approach us with a "bend don't break" mentality. They'll be more than fine allowing us the zone time because they're comfortable in their ability to limit space to the outside. All they have to do is eliminate rush chances, then wait for their chance on a turnover or power play.

A simplified approach to o-zone possession is something we need to work on going into the playoffs. We broke the Panthers by sending a zone blower up ice and punting the puck so they couldn't pin us in our end and catching them on rushes. All until Game 7 when they eased off the forecheck and killed our stretch breakouts.

Very good points. And that's my big worry going into the playoffs, teams like Vegas and Florida being able to clog their net front and limit our offence. And yes I think they were comfortable in that "bend not break" mentality with their own-zone defence, they are supremely confident in their ability to limit goals against but just being completely solid, huge, and disciplined in their net front/middle of the ice defence. We did exploit them on the rush as you've noted, but if they clean up that part of their game that too can be stopped.

I think this is why guys like Skinner/Arviddson were targeted. We need the extra scoring ability. And both guys have shown ability to to work within tight spaces, producing within heavy coverages. Which is why we need to get both guys hot and going in the regular season, ready to make impacts in the playoffs.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Well, it beats the Skinner skeptics having an orgasm when he has a bad game.

BTW, here's his goals against since November 23rd per game and the Oilers have the top save percentage in the entire league in this timeframe btw

2
1
1
2
1
3
6
2
1
4
1
2
0

2s and 1s being the dominant numbers.

Now, I've seen a lot of Skinner sucks posts in that time period despite the actual numbers painting a different story. It's not like this was his 1st good game of the year, just about every one has been good in the last month and a half so I think the reason why some folks are "orgasming" over his game last night is because they've been having to hear incessantly for a long time now about how much he sucks so it's a counter to all of that.

With that said, Skinner does have his inconsistencies (as just about every NHL goalie has in this now higher scoring league), he has athletic flaws and the team in front of him does help to limit chances but he's been a good goalie the past 2 seasons and has been a good goalie the last month and a half, one of the best in the league in that timeframe for that matter, so it should be acknowledged as much as it should be acknowledged when he sucks.

Only over 2 goals against 3 times in 13 games is very good.

 

[K1984]

Very good points. And that's my big worry going into the playoffs, teams like Vegas and Florida being able to clog their net front and limit our offence. And yes I think they were comfortable in that "bend not break" mentality with their own-zone defence, they are supremely confident in their ability to limit goals against but just being completely solid, huge, and disciplined in their net front/middle of the ice defence. We did exploit them on the rush as you've noted, but if they clean up that part of their game that too can be stopped.

I think this is why guys like Skinner/Arviddson were targeted. We need the extra scoring ability. And both guys have shown ability to to work within tight spaces, producing within heavy coverages. Which is why we need to get both guys hot and going in the regular season, ready to make impacts in the playoffs.

The thought of a Skinner - Henrique - Hyman 3rd line in the playoffs is very intriguing to me. That is 100% a line that could create some consistent secondary 5v5 offence against weaker bottom 6 matchups.

Only problem is you probably need another Top 6 RW to be able to roll this out, and I don't think you want Hyman in a role that limits his 5v5 ice off of normal.

Something like this maybe?

RNH - McDavid - Kapanen
Kane - Draisaitl - Arvidsson
Skinner - Henrique - Hyman
Podkolzin - Janmark - Brown/Perry

The top line RW position would just inevitably become a rotation of whoever is playing the best, and that's far from ideal. Also would prefer Janmark on the wing, but space runs out fast in this lineup.

 

[bone]

Definitely fair on both fronts.

I'm resting on the assumption that there aren't any home run D men available that will meaningfully improve the Star's D situation, but you never know what teams might be able to swing.

That's fair as well, but they probably don't even need a "home run", just a reliable dman or two that could play the 4-6 spot.

 

[bone]

Well, it beats the Skinner skeptics having an orgasm when he has a bad game.

BTW, here's his goals against since November 23rd per game and the Oilers have the top save percentage in the entire league in this timeframe btw

2
1
1
2
1
3
6
2
1
4
1
2
0

2s and 1s being the dominant numbers.

Now, I've seen a lot of Skinner sucks posts in that time period despite the actual numbers painting a different story. It's not like this was his 1st good game of the year, just about every one has been good in the last month and a half so I think the reason why some folks are "orgasming" over his game last night is because they've been having to hear incessantly for a long time now about how much he sucks so it's a counter to all of that.

With that said, Skinner does have his inconsistencies (as just about every NHL goalie has in this now higher scoring league), he has athletic flaws and the team in front of him does help to limit chances but he's been a good goalie the past 2 seasons and has been a good goalie the last month and a half, one of the best in the league in that timeframe for that matter, so it should be acknowledged as much as it should be acknowledged when he sucks.

I'm often a Skinner critic, but if I'm going to be fair I have to give him credit when he deserves it and generally he's been good for the last 13 games with maybe 2 poor starts but he's also had 3-5 really good starts and at least average or better in the rest.

I looked to compare the game by game progress of his save percentage this year vs last year and it's kind of interesting that the progression game by game in save percentage is very similar to last year, but most interestingly the only game where his season long Save Percentage was lower this year than last, was Game 1. There's been a few times where they matched up to be equal but mostly he's been higher at any given point than he was last year

So I think it's fair to say that while he's still inconsistent and prone to bad streaks, he has improved year over year (at least to this point). Hopefully this means an improved start to the playoffs this year in the first two rounds and a similar or better performance round 3 and 4. If he can deliver that Edmonton has a chance to do this.

 

[K1984]

I'm often a Skinner critic, but if I'm going to be fair I have to give him credit when he deserves it and generally he's been good for the last 13 games with maybe 2 poor starts but he's also had 3-5 really good starts.

I looked to compare the game by game progress of his save percentage this year vs last year and it's kind of interesting that the progression game by game in save percentage is very similar to last year, but most interestingly the only game where his season long Save Percentage was lower this year than last, was Game 1. There's been a few times where they matched up to be equal but mostly he's been higher at any given point than he was last year

So I think it's fair to say that while he's still inconsistent and prone to bad streaks, he has improved year over year (at least to this point). Hopefully this means an improved start to the playoffs this year in the first two rounds and a similar or better performance round 3 and 4. If he can deliver that Edmonton has a chance to do this.

View attachment 958288

Thanks for putting this together.

One thing I'd be curious about is a third line showing league average SV% over the same time frame. Still some consternation around here about how he's last among starters in this or that statistic over the totality of the season, but if I were to bet most of that chart would show Skinner with some healthy distance between his performance and league average.

Like a lot of key players on this team, his total inability to start seasons on time absolutely craters any total year snapshot statistics. Still happened so it's still relevant, but when play that bad is consistently isolated to the start of seasons I think looking in that context is important.

Skinner's play since mid-November has been exactly what we need from him. 90% of the time he's good enough to win, and the bad games are one offs before he recovers. Limiting bad play to a game or two instead of 4-6 games is the thing he needs to establish next.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I feel like it's worth pointing out, the Oilers have played 2 road games in a row where they held those home teams to 12 or fewer shots after 2 periods. This team can seriously play defense.

 

[TheNumber4]

The thought of a Skinner - Henrique - Hyman 3rd line in the playoffs is very intriguing to me. That is 100% a line that could create some consistent secondary 5v5 offence against weaker bottom 6 matchups.

Only problem is you probably need another Top 6 RW to be able to roll this out, and I don't think you want Hyman in a role that limits his 5v5 ice off of normal.

Something like this maybe?

RNH - McDavid - Kapanen
Kane - Draisaitl - Arvidsson
Skinner - Henrique - Hyman
Podkolzin - Janmark - Brown/Perry

The top line RW position would just inevitably become a rotation of whoever is playing the best, and that's far from ideal. Also would prefer Janmark on the wing, but space runs out fast in this lineup.

Yeh if we get sawed off in the top 2 lines. Having an extra scoring line to potentially break through the mediocre line 3s of our opposition might be a great fall back plan. Hyman-Rico-Skinner wouldn’t look out of place in the Top 6 on some non-contender teams, so it has good potential to out produce less competitions in a 3rd line role.

With the top 2 lines we’ll always see a constant shuffling, cause we always need to ensure McDrai are operating at their peaks. So yeh there will be a mish mash of wingers, whatever’s working at that time.

 

[bucks_oil]

... if he thinks he’s worth anywhere near 10 it’s pathetic. Contract year is when the pros play like pros.

In my eyes he’s not worth 10 the way he is playing.

I want you guys to just take a deep breath and say: "he's going to get $10 and we will be ok".

Honestly, Oobga below is right... offensive defensemen like him do not come around very often. And rightly or wrongly they get paid. And we absolutely need him.

Let's not freak out at the number and vilify the guy. He's having a bit of a slump to start this season and he's STILL on pace to put up 60 points.

If we can take the good with the bad with Barrie we can certainly take it with 25-year old Bouchard... who to my eye is still improving his reads defensively, to the point where I completely trust him in our zone. Where he struggles is at the opponent's blue-line... but many offensive guys struggle in that regard, never willing to give up on the offensive play early enough.

That will come with more experience, especially in the playoffs where your heart actually aches for two days after every mistake you make. And one thing I can see in Bouchard that should relax us all in terms of his future trajectory... he's competitive and he wants to win.

PS: if we are smart with Bouchard, we actually sign him to 8+2/season on a deferred salary deal. He's going to play until his 35-37, so that 2x8=$16M deferred would be deeply discounted back to present value... likely the cap hit comes in around $9M in that case.

Every player is different. Some guys buckle a bit under the contract year pressure, some ONLY play for the contract year and then vanish, which is IMO the worst kind of player. Shesterkin is another guy that totally buckled this season with the contract distraction. Still got paid of course, cause NYR needs him, badly. We need Bouch playing like he last in the last 2 playoff years as well. We don't even get past Vancouver without him last year.

He's struggling a bit, we're still winning, he's still pushing play all night with breakouts. His level of talent is still there and he is going to get paid, without a doubt. We've waited a long time to get this kind of player, and there is no way Bowman would let him go. Just gotta hope he's one of those guys that gets better when the off-ice pressures are no longer a distraction.

Well said.

 

[TheNumber4]

I feel like it's worth pointing out, the Oilers have played 2 road games in a row where they held that home to to 12 or fewer shots after 2 periods. This team can seriously play defense.

We play a lot of our defence by way of offence. Knob puts an emphasis on owning the puck, “the best defence is a great offence” mentality. In-zone we are great too and can hold the Fort. Where we can struggle is transitionary plays and leaking rushes when we aren’t playing our best. It’s the egregious mistakes that seem to kill us, a bad pinch, a turnover at the opposition blue line, a missed assignment in the NZ. All correctable mistakes though which is the good news, and if we can clean that up, we are completely solid in our overall system.

 

[K1984]

Yeh if we get sawed off in the top 2 lines. Having an extra scoring line to potentially break through the mediocre line 3s of our opposition might be a great fall back plan. Hyman-Rico-Skinner wouldn’t look out of place in the Top 6 on some non-contender teams, so it has good potential to out produce less competitions in a 3rd line role.

With the top 2 lines we’ll always see a constant shuffling, cause we always need to ensure McDrai are operating at their peaks. So yeh there will be a mish mash of wingers, whatever’s working at that time.

After posting that I was thinking that Janmark might even be worth a look on the top line RW. He has all the tenants of a guy that can work with McDavid. Fast, first on the forecheck, has good vision, knows how to get the puck to his teammates in soft parts of the ice, etc.

Problem is you're not going to have a lot of finish when RNH and Janmark are your wings. McDavid would have to 100% regain his "shooting mentality" that has been lost the last two years.

 

[TheNumber4]

I'm often a Skinner critic, but if I'm going to be fair I have to give him credit when he deserves it and generally he's been good for the last 13 games with maybe 2 poor starts but he's also had 3-5 really good starts and at least average or better in the rest.

I looked to compare the game by game progress of his save percentage this year vs last year and it's kind of interesting that the progression game by game in save percentage is very similar to last year, but most interestingly the only game where his season long Save Percentage was lower this year than last, was Game 1. There's been a few times where they matched up to be equal but mostly he's been higher at any given point than he was last year

So I think it's fair to say that while he's still inconsistent and prone to bad streaks, he has improved year over year (at least to this point). Hopefully this means an improved start to the playoffs this year in the first two rounds and a similar or better performance round 3 and 4. If he can deliver that Edmonton has a chance to do this.

View attachment 958288

That’s a very interesting analysis. Thanks for making the graph. It seems maybe that once he finds his game after the early season shit show, there’s less variability in his performance as well, maybe slightly more consistency.

It definitely does show a slight improvement in his game overall too. And we should note that League avg save percentage is a couple points lower this year than last, so that improvement might be even bigger than what’s shown by comparing the lines here.

 

[bone]

Thanks for putting this together.

One thing I'd be curious about is a third line showing league average SV% over the same time frame. Still some consternation around here about how he's last among starters in this or that statistic over the totality of the season, but if I were to bet most of that chart would show Skinner with some healthy distance between his performance and league average.

Like a lot of key players on this team, his total inability to start seasons on time absolutely craters any total year snapshot statistics. Still happened so it's still relevant, but when play that bad is consistently isolated to the start of seasons I think looking in that context is important.

Skinner's play since mid-November has been exactly what we need from him. 90% of the time he's good enough to win, and the bad games are one offs before he recovers. Limiting bad play to a game or two instead of 4-6 games is the thing he needs to establish next.

I think on average across the league goalies have a "really bad start" (i.e less than .850) about once every 5-6 games, and the best goalies are closer to the once every 7 games, So the fact that he's only had 1 in his last 13 means he's doing his job. Unfortuanly he had 4 in his first 14 so overall 5 bad starts in 27 is still too many.

For quality starts (ie. above league average) good goalies push for about 60-65% of their starts. Over the last 13, Skinner is hitting at 85% which is remarkable. Unfortunately though he was only hitting at 35% in the first 14, so overall his 63% is pretty good, but unfortunately the way he went about acheiving that is the problem.

 

[bone]

That’s a very interesting analysis. Thanks for making the graph. It seems maybe that once he finds his game after the early season shit show, there’s less variability in his performance as well, maybe slightly more consistency.

It definitely does show a slight improvement in his game overall too. And we should note that League avg save percentage is a couple points lower this year than last, so that improvement might be even bigger than what’s shown by comparing the lines here.

Well if you follow the chart beyond the first 27 games, last year did peak around game 35 before dipping back down a bit because of a pretty pedestrian 6 game segment before settling in for more balanced finish of a few good a few bad and so on and finishing slightly below his peak save percentage achieved in the loss vs. Vegas to end the streak.

So if he continues to follow the same trend he's bound to slump a bit again around February, before finishing out the season more balanced. That or maybe he slumps a bit again after the 4 nations cup if his slumps are tied to longer resting periods (could also explain his poor Vancouver series as that was the longest break Edmonton had during the playoff run and his first three vs. FLA weren't as strong as the previous 8 starts or final 4).

 

[Ibanez]

I want you guys to just take a deep breath and say: "he's going to get $10 and we will be ok".

Honestly, Oobga below is right... offensive defensemen like him do not come around very often. And rightly or wrongly they get paid. And we absolutely need him.

Let's not freak out at the number and vilify the guy. He's having a bit of a slump to start this season and he's STILL on pace to put up 60 points.

If we can take the good with the bad with Barrie we can certainly take it with 25-year old Bouchard... who to my eye is still improving his reads defensively, to the point where I completely trust him in our zone. Where he struggles is at the opponent's blue-line... but many offensive guys struggle in that regard, never willing to give up on the offensive play early enough.

That will come with more experience, especially in the playoffs where your heart actually aches for two days after every mistake you make. And one thing I can see in Bouchard that should relax us all in terms of his future trajectory... he's competitive and he wants to win.

PS: if we are smart with Bouchard, we actually sign him to 8+2/season on a deferred salary deal. He's going to play until his 35-37, so that 2x8=$16M deferred would be deeply discounted back to present value... likely the cap hit comes in around $9M in that case.



Well said.

Ok deep breath. I feel much better. Woooosahhhhhh