Player Discussion Evan Bouchard

[Tobias Kahun]

I’m shocked shattenkirk disappeared after bashing Bouchard near the end of the year

 

[VainGretzky]

Heard on 1440 Bouchard 2bd fastest to 40 playoff points for defenseman in NHL playoffs , Orr is 1st

 

[foshizzle]

I feel like people are getting the same kind of high they were getting from Covid season Nurse. Can we see how Bouchard does away from Ekholm first? Did Bouchard carried his own pairing before Ekholm? I'm going to wait another 2 years before I put him in some kind of #1D stratosphere. For now, Bouchard is pretty good with some minor flaws. He's a player I prefer to keep my expectation low.

As for Ekholm, we know what we have in him. It's why we traded for him. It's been backed up by years of playing excellent D.

Except they’re totally different players with totally different metrics. Nurse has never, in his career, come close to the defensive metrics Bouchard has had over the past 3 seasons - even before Ekholm got here. Bouchard is near the top of the league in zone denials, successful exits, and puck retrievals. He is also excellent in NZ transition. Was it Ekholm or was it a matter of giving him more ice time as the analytics crowd was screaming for when he was in the press box under Tippett.

Ekholm has been an excellent dman for years- but he has never been this good, relied on this much, putting up these numbers. Your entitled to your opinion- but comparing Covid Nurse to Bouchard now is not even in the same galaxy

 

[Tarus]

Heard on 1440 Bouchard 2bd fastest to 40 playoff points for defenseman in NHL playoffs , Orr is 1st

Saw a graphic floating around last night about that(can't find it now)

Said Leetch was 1st to 40 points(32 games), Orr 2nd(33 games) and Bouchard hit it in 37 games.

 

[guymez]

wrong thread

 

[Vinh]

His composure with the puck is something else. Great in transition and at the point, and his defense continues to improve. Put together some highlights from Game 4:

I thought he was the best player on the ice last night.

 

[bobbythebrain]

His composure with the puck is something else. Great in transition and at the point, and his defense continues to improve. Put together some highlights from Game 4:

I thought he was the best player on the ice last night.

Pretty sad that if that was Nurse, 3 of those passes would have been automatic board flips, and another 2 would have been ozone dumps.
That highlight real sums up just how smart he is at creating

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I would go one step further and suggest that he was showing signs that he was elite offensively.

Thats as far as I would go though because this notion that his overall game was a top 4 caliber before Ekholm got here is based on nothing but hope and feelings.

I mean when our top 4 also consisted of Nurse and Ceci, it might not be that big of a stretch for our team. Now he'd be a top 4 on every team in the league and top 2 on most. He's definitely advanced light years since Ekholm's arrival, what he was before almost doesn't matter at this point. Ekholm has been great for him and vice versa. Obviously the veteran will have taught the youngster more, but it's been mutually beneficial.

 

[Fourier]

Heard on 1440 Bouchard 2bd fastest to 40 playoff points for defenseman in NHL playoffs , Orr is 1st

That's reasonable company!

 

[Vinh]

Pretty sad that if that was Nurse, 3 of those passes would have been automatic board flips, and another 2 would have been ozone dumps.
That highlight real sums up just how smart he is at creating

His timing really stands out to me. Processes not just where to move the puck but exactly when to hit his target in stride. His passing is quite underrated IMO.

 

[Aerchon]

I think best comparable for Bouchard on this team is Hyman. Everyone agrees what they have done this year is very rare and exceptional but give a lot of the credit to who they have on their line/pairing.

It doesn't matter who is propping up who ..end result is that we are finally more than a 2 player team.

Rotflmao

You are comparing an elite draft profile still short of his prime doing HOF level stuff already and... comparing that to Zach Hyman...

Dont get me wrong. I love Hyman. Guy is a beast. 50 goal seasons are amazing...

But I hope I don't have to explain the very very obvious differences.

I don't know how Bouchard’s age gets overlooked by so many of hid detractors.

Is Booch HOF bound? Who knows. Destined for a Norris... Maybe? But he is currently playing out of this world and is crazy young to boot. Development isn't linear, even Makar took a small step back this year. Who knows what Bouchard ends up as but it's currently amazing with at least some potential to be even better...

 

[Oilhawks]

Rotflmao

You are comparing an elite draft profile still short of his prime doing HOF level stuff already and... comparing that to Zach Hyman...

Dont get me wrong. I love Hyman. Guy is a beast. 50 goal seasons are amazing...

But I hope I don't have to explain the very very obvious differences.

I don't know how Bouchard’s age gets overlooked by so many of hid detractors.

Is Booch HOF bound? Who knows. Destined for a Norris... Maybe? But he is currently playing out of this world and is crazy young to boot. Development isn't linear, even Makar took a small step back this year. Who knows what Bouchard ends up as but it's currently amazing with at least some potential to be even better...

Have to say, these are 100% my sentiments comparing the two. Hyman is great and is having a beast season, but Bouchard's growth has been exponential. He's always shown flashes of brilliance but his defensive game was very raw (and in some extreme cases, far too lackadaisical). Something clicked this year and he's been committed on the defensive side. I see him make a mistake and then a quick recovery and almost always has excellent defensive stickwork. A lot of this has been picked up from Ekholm (and Keith before him), as well as Coffey and Stuart's coaching, but he also knows he can do it and does.

I think there's a very good chance that he ends up being a bonafide #1 for a decade or more, and easily the third most important Oiler of this era. And I'm saying this as a huge Ekholm fan.

 

[Oilhawks]

I'll add. I know people don't like giving Chiarelli any credit (I sure as f*** don't), but he deserves props for picking Bouchard (and drafting under his regime in general). This was a contested pick and I remember some hand-wringing about not going for Dobson and even Wahlstrom (lol). In a retrospective redraft Bouchard is easily going in the top 5, maybe top 3.

 

[bobbythebrain]

I'll add. I know people don't like giving Chiarelli any credit (I sure as f*** don't), but he deserves props for picking Bouchard (and drafting under his regime in general). This was a contested pick and I remember some hand-wringing about not going for Dobson and even Wahlstrom (lol). In a retrospective redraft Bouchard is easily going in the top 5, maybe top 3.

Very little logic goes into fan based draft talk. They usually watch a 2min Youtube and think they're informed.
Hell, very little goes into actual NHL scouts sometimes. They pick favorites.

Bouchard should have went higher. Luckily, he went to us.
In his draft year he decimated the comp in points. He was the best passer from the backend by a mile. He decimated in getting shots thru and he played a boatload of minutes without looking gassed. Plus, he's a righty with also the best and hardest point shot.
If ever there was a prototype to play with McDrai, he was it.
Chia made the easy choice. The other GMs deserve ridicule for only focusing on skating

 

[Fourier]

Very little logic goes into fan based draft talk. They usually watch a 2min Youtube and think they're informed.
Hell, very little goes into actual NHL scouts sometimes. They pick favorites.

Bouchard should have went higher. Luckily, he went to us.
In his draft year he decimated the comp in points. He was the best passer from the backend by a mile. He decimated in getting shots thru and he played a boatload of minutes without looking gassed. Plus, he's a righty with also the best and hardest point shot.
If ever there was a prototype to play with McDrai, he was it.
Chia made the easy choice. The other GMs deserve ridicule for only focusing on skating

The only caveat I'd put on the choice was his skating. It would have been nice if he could skate like Coffey.

 

[Broberg Speed]

With the version of Bouchard we saw tonight it's extremely difficult to win against contending teams.

 

[Oilking83]

With the version of Bouchard we saw tonight it's extremely difficult to win against contending teams.

I sure hope they don’t look to give this guy 10M. Yikes would live to regret it for a long time

 

[Stoneman89]

Bouch giveth....and he taketh away.
It's funny, I was thinking about him in the 2nd period possibly being in contention for the Smythe and then.........Yah, no.

 

[Broberg Speed]

Bouch giveth....and he taketh away.
It's funny, I was thinking about him in the 2nd period possibly being in contention for the Smythe and then.........Yah, no.

I was listing to Jason Gregor for the first time in a long time and all he was doing was polishing Bouchard's knob. I had to turn it off.

I find it difficult to believe that wasn't paid sponsorship to promote Evan Bouchard. And it's on all the shows. I refuse to listen to that bullshit. Absolute clown show.

 

[Broberg Speed]

where are the laughing bros ?

 

[Oilhawks]

I sure hope they don’t look to give this guy 10M. Yikes would live to regret it for a long time

A PPG d-man that's producing just under Bobby Orr for PPG in the playoffs will get paid, unless he falls off a cliff next season (he won't). Regardless of having a terrible game tonight

 

[Broberg Speed]

A PPG d-man that's producing just under Bobby Orr for PPG in the playoffs will get paid, unless he falls off a cliff next season (he won't). Regardless of having a terrible game tonight

I have no problem with Bouchard "getting paid" as long as it isn't with the Oilers.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I’m shocked shattenkirk disappeared after bashing Bouchard near the end of the year

Why even post this? I made my point clear, I even praised him when he was playing well.

Your boy Bouchard single handedly lost us the game and potentially the season. Constant turnovers at the most inopportune times in game 5.

 

[guymez]

Why even post this? I made my point clear, I even praised him when he was playing well.

Your boy Bouchard single handedly lost us the game and potentially the season. Constant turnovers at the most inopportune times in game 5.

I really like Bouchard as a player but it was really something to have to fend off poster after poster because I suggested that I wanted to see more from Bouchard.
In last nights game he showed exactly why.
In the biggest game of the year he became a turnover machine.

That was the version of Bouchard that we have seen before and it has to go away.
Norris candidates do not go from elite to garbage in 48 hours and thats exactly what Bouchard did.

 

[Broberg Speed]

I'll hold out the olive branch.

If we had a deeper team (forwards, defense and goaltending) Bouchard could be sheltered more. Bouchard wouldn't be exposed as much.

I never one time said Bouchard is useless or a bad player. He is a good offensive defenseman that gets a bunch of points playing alongside McDrai and from being a part of "the elite power play in the NHL". He also has a great defense partner in Ekholm.

With that being said Bouchard shouldn't be "getting paid" if the Oilers want to be competitive in a cap system. Everyone knows exactly what I'm talking about.

And the Norris conversation and some of the comparisons bandied about is a joke. The media pushing Bouchard down our throats is likewise, a joke.