Isles fans were also crossing their fingers that the Oilers would take Bouchard.
Bouchard is a very talented passer, his outlet passes are especially good. His average skating limits his ability to transport the puck out of the zone, something he rarely does as he relies on passing it to offset that weakness. I still have doubts about his defensive play despite his offensive talent. I don't see #1D potential.
Dobson is a very different animal and is more well rounded. His plus skating allows him to either skate it out of the zone or make the outlet pass with equal effectiveness. He's also able to push the play and lead the rush, something he has been doing with more frequency in the more recent games. Dobson has better 4-way mobility than Bouchard and also has the reach advantage so he projects as the better defender.
Dobson looks a lot like a young Pietrangelo or maybe a Suter out there these days. He has all the look of a 25-minute all around #1D on his current trajectory. I am as thrilled today as I was on Draft Day 2018 when he fell to the Isles.
This is a reasonable take.
I still see Bouchard's offensive upside as 2nd to very few. You are right, it's a much more cerebral offensive upside, rather than a dynamic one, given his skating. More Larry Murphy than Paul Coffey if you will.
He's been pretty solid defensively. You'd like him to get a little bit meaner in front and assertive with his will, but that may still come. What has been impressive for Oiler fans is his defensive positioning, which has been pretty solid.
Long term I see him as one of the best #2 Dmen in the league. An ideal partner for Nurse as he'll provide exceptional outlets (vs Nurse's ability to skate out of danger) and will be a bit more of a steady presence rather than a rover... they complement each other well.
Since Woodcroft took over, Bouchard has been (perhaps the only player to be) taking a step back. I think part of this is deployment, playing less time with Nurse and more time with some of our other young defenders. It tells me he's not quite experienced enough to anchor a pair, but I don't think it reflects negatively on his outlook... this is still ~his rookie season.