Prospect Info: Tyler Boucher (RW/LW) - Don`t sleep on Tyler Boucher

[BondraTime]

Good for Boucher. Get back into the swing of things and get some playing time under your belt, get a cup of coffee late in the year with the team far outside the playoff picture

 

[Dan Patrick]

As I’ve said before I just hope he can play for some games in a row. The guy hasn’t played hockey for more than a couple of months since before he was drafted. At this point I would take 15+ underwhelming games in a row

 

[SquidNasty]

Except you're applying a double standard.

Nolan Patrick's pre draft injuries were well documented and although on talent alone he was a consensus top 3, there were debates about his injury history. You're holding that against Boucher but not Patrick and considering he was #2 and who went behind him (Heiskanen, Makar, Petersson...) ignoring Nolan Patricks' injury history ended up being a huge blunder by PHI.

Yes, Patrick was not the reach that Boucher was, but you can't criticize the SENS for overlooking Boucher's pre draft injury without acknowledging that PHI did the same, and with much greater consequence.

Admit it, you're being harsh on Boucher for his post draft injuries all the while the rational side in you gives Patrick a free pass for that. The pick deserves criticism as a reach there is no doubt about that but considering his post draft injuries have been bad luck (as you said for Patrick) he is far more of an unknown commodity than he is an all out bust. We simply don't know what we have in Boucher and to me it's ignorant to label him the worst pick of all time considering he is only 20 and nearly half the first rounders that year haven't played a single NHL game.

Just wait and see how it plays out.

2017 NHL Draft Rankings

2017 NHL draft rankings. A compilation of the top NHL draft prospects rankings for the 2017 draft from a variety of NHL scouting service and media outlets.

www.mynhldraft.com

Nolan Patrick was not a bad pick at 2. Yea it looks awful in hindsight and superstars went right after him, but given all the info they had it wasn’t a bad pick. Agree to disagree.

 

[SquidNasty]

Here we go, should be interesting to see how his game translates to the AHL

 

[lancepitlick]

Bad picks happen and even at high draft positions. Sometimes previous injuries derail an entire career, sometimes they mean nothing and you get a steal. So I don't fall either way on that front.

In terms of this pick and not using hindsight bias, I never liked GMPD's rationale for picking Boucher. His rationale was that the team had enough "stars" and they needed to buttress the roster with a physical player that can help you win in the playoffs. Picking for need is STUPID, as has been proven time and time again. Unless you have a crazy situation where your goalies are Mike Richter/Beezer and a goalie is the best pick, take the best player available.

If you are picking for a need you end up picking a 2nd round talent at #10 because he fits the profile of your projected need.

There are so many reasons why this rationale was stupid.
#1 you don't even know that will be a need when the player is ready to play in 2-4 seasons (who knows who else you acquire, where the team is at, how the league changes in that time etc.).
- for example, the current Sens shouldn't be stressing about winning game #7 of the Stanley Cup finals. They could use a roster player that'll help them MAKE the playoffs.
#2 a player that is good, but doesn't fit your roster composition, can be traded as they have value. A fourth liner has little value. You can trade a good player for player that fits your current need, but you can't trade a bad player for anything. Maximizing value is most important.
#3 a great player (BPA) is going to contribute more regardless of need. If you need a d-man, but pick Brian Lee, he isn't going to contribute to wins. Even if you have a lot of forward depth already, having Anze Kopitar on your third line is going to do more than having a plug as your 6th defenseman.
#4 picking a guy who best possible scenario is Chris Neil and worst is an ECHL player at #10 is plain stupid.

 

[Icelevel]

Bad picks happen and even at high draft positions. Sometimes previous injuries derail an entire career, sometimes they mean nothing and you get a steal. So I don't fall either way on that front.

In terms of this pick and not using hindsight bias, I never liked GMPD's rationale for picking Boucher. His rationale was that the team had enough "stars" and they needed to buttress the roster with a physical player that can help you win in the playoffs. Picking for need is STUPID, as has been proven time and time again. Unless you have a crazy situation where your goalies are Mike Richter/Beezer and a goalie is the best pick, take the best player available.

If you are picking for a need you end up picking a 2nd round talent at #10 because he fits the profile of your projected need.

There are so many reasons why this rationale was stupid.
#1 you don't even know that will be a need when the player is ready to play in 2-4 seasons (who knows who else you acquire, where the team is at, how the league changes in that time etc.).
- for example, the current Sens shouldn't be stressing about winning game #7 of the Stanley Cup finals. They could use a roster player that'll help them MAKE the playoffs.
#2 a player that is good, but doesn't fit your roster composition, can be traded as they have value. A fourth liner has little value. You can trade a good player for player that fits your current need, but you can't trade a bad player for anything. Maximizing value is most important.
#3 a great player (BPA) is going to contribute more regardless of need. If you need a d-man, but pick Brian Lee, he isn't going to contribute to wins. Even if you have a lot of forward depth already, having Anze Kopitar on your third line is going to do more than having a plug as your 6th defenseman.
#4 picking a guy who best possible scenario is Chris Neil and worst is an ECHL player at #10 is plain stupid.

Boucher was a good pick.

 

[Senator Stanley]

No mention of Boucher playing tonight in the pre-game report where you'd expect to see mention of Boucher playing.

Game Day Build-Up: Sens and Pens conclude brief season series at CAA Arena – Belleville Sens

Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up Dec.21/23 vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (NHL Affiliate: Pittsburgh Penguins) The Set-Up: The Belleville Senators (10-10-2-2) battle for seeding in the middle of the North Division continues this week, as the Sens return home to CAA...

bellevillesens.com

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

No mention of Boucher playing tonight in the pre-game report where you'd expect to see mention of Boucher playing.

Game Day Build-Up: Sens and Pens conclude brief season series at CAA Arena – Belleville Sens

Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up Dec.21/23 vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (NHL Affiliate: Pittsburgh Penguins) The Set-Up: The Belleville Senators (10-10-2-2) battle for seeding in the middle of the North Division continues this week, as the Sens return home to CAA...

bellevillesens.com

You'd expect something from the team .. I asked Footy on twitter ...crickets

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Is he still eligible to play for the 67s? With all this time off, it might be better for the kid to get back into it by playing in a lower league. The AHL is one hell of a jump for an injury prone kid who hasn't played in months.

 

[armani]

Maybe Former Hockey Player Tyler Boucher was part of the Pinto betting ring?

 

[PlayersLtd]

I don't mind being called ignorant but it's definitely one of the really bad picks in NHL history. Not because Boucher didn't "live up" to expectations due to injuries but more because it was one of the biggest reaches in history, particularly since scouting has evolved a lot.

Teams usually don't gamble like that with such a high pick for a guy with limited upside. The last pick like that I can think of in that wtf mold was Dylan McIlrath. Actually, I just looked it up and he was ranked 15th by McKenzie pre-draft... Not even close to a reach like Boucher was.


In comparison, the Logan Brown pick was much much better because he had real first line upside.

And sorry but Patrick is a really bad comparison... He had A LOT more potential than Boucher.

I'm not denying that we reached and gambled but part of my point is that we don't know HOW bad of a pick he was because injuries have not allowed for a fair assessment and have curbed his development. Add to this the fact that he is only 20 and I think you have a lot of people (like me) who are still rightfully saying 'wait and see.' I'm not pretending that he will live up to 10th OA but he still has time to redeem himself and become an NHL player so I just don't get why people want to make sensationalized claims.

Yes, it is logical to be critical of the pick at the time (which I trust you in particular were because you have a good track record for prospect knowledge). But after that I think there is still an asterisk beside the 'worst pick ever' claim because we just don't know. Someone like Mclraith was a reach and a legit bust. Not saying that's worse but it is certainly different than someone who never got a chance to show whatever potential they had due to injury.

And the Patrick comparison was simply in response to the poster who held pre draft injuries against Boucher. Patrick had pre draft injuries and PHI ignored those and it bit them. Yes he had more potential, WAY more potential, completely different. But PHI overlooking the injury warnings and having it backfire at #2 overall when three franchise players went behind him had far greater consequences than Boucher at 10. There's hindsight but Patrick's portfolio of injuries was growing before the draft.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[StoicSensFan]

 

[h2]

You can say it was a bad pick at the selection, but regardless I'm happy to see him lacing up tonight. All the best to the kid.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Should have went back to the 67s as an overager.

 

[mianjo]

So we assume that since he came off the injury list a couple of weeks ago he has been practicing with the BSens, and yet no one knew.

 

[Icelevel]

Double Boucher?

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Let’s go boys

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Is he still eligible to play for the 67s? With all this time off, it might be better for the kid to get back into it by playing in a lower league. The AHL is one hell of a jump for an injury prone kid who hasn't played in months.

He needs to play (tonight) in the AHL, he will never play junior hockey again, been there done that, he needs the challenge of playing vs men, not teenagers.

You can say it was a bad pick at the selection, but regardless I'm happy to see him lacing up tonight. All the best to the kid.

Good point made by AJ, it was not his fault that he was drafted where he was…. Let him play, and the negative Nellie’s can rip him apart at some point in the future, should they need another wiping boy

 

[dumbdick]

I'm calling that he is either injured or suspended by the end of this one.

 

[Goon42]

Boucher Era begins

 

[ChurchOfAlfie]

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

- Tyler Boucher

 

[DrEasy]

Double Boucher?

The Belleville Butchers has a nice ring to it.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

The Belleville Butchers has a nice ring to it.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

The Belleville Butchers has a nice ring to it.

Ahhh

Fresh meat