Player Discussion: Adam Boqvist discussion

[oldwpgjet]

Hi Blue Jacket fans, was looking for some info on Boquist, Noticed he is out with upper body injury, anyone have any more specifics on what that is and when he might be back if at all this season. Also, was wondering what his concussion history is. I found he has had a couple ( I think minor ones)over past 2 seasons and wonder if there has been any more? I think he has great potential to be a stud dman here but trying to figure out if just some bad luck so far or if he is going to be a band aid boy going forward. Any thoughts? With Bowen Byram taking a break from hockey I heard from concussions, just trying to do some due diligence.

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[CBJWerenski8]

Hi Blue Jacket fans, was looking for some info on Boquist, Noticed he is out with upper body injury, anyone have any more specifics on what that is and when he might be back if at all this season. Also, was wondering what his concussion history is. I found he has had a couple ( I think minor ones)over past 2 seasons and wonder if there has been any more? I think he has great potential to be a stud dman here but trying to figure out if just some bad luck so far or if he is going to be a band aid boy going forward. Any thoughts? With Bowen Byram taking a break from hockey I heard from concussions, just trying to do some due diligence.

I don’t remember exactly what game it was, but he got hit in the face with a shoulder at center ice and was in a lot of pain on the bench. He’s been out since and is now starting to skate.

He’s had a few concussions for sure. I know he missed time with Chicago a few times last year from them. Unfortunately His injury history is alarming and might stunt his sky high potential.

 

[majormajor]

If Boqvist just got another concussion then he is one you definitely shut down for the rest of the year.

He's got to get a lot stronger anyways, the best development for him is in the gym, he can get started early.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

If Boqvist just got another concussion then he is one you definitely shut down for the rest of the year.

He's got to get a lot stronger anyways, the best development for him is in the gym, he can get started early.

Agreed here.

I do think Boq has sky high potential. Maybe not #1 D, but certainly #2 if he tops out. But more than likely due to his small frame and defensive deficiencies he'll top out to be a 2nd pairing PP Specialist, and I think that's perfectly fine.

However the injuries are certainly concerning. We have to be careful here.

 

[oldwpgjet]

Hopefully he is back this year. Injury reports these days are frustrating, especially as you get closer to end of season and playoffs, it seems to be almost all upper body injury and lower body injury, don't want any info leaked.

 

[MAHJ71]

I'm all for him changing his number... its just not a healthy number to wear..

 

[CBJWerenski8]

15 minutes of ice time and another goal tonight in his return game from injury.

The guy is good. Really good. I'm not going to beat a dead horse and talk about his injuries again, but he also needs to learn to be smarter with his pinches.

He's extremely aggressive in looking to go up in the play, join the rush, or take a chance on a back door rush to the net from the point. I like all of this, but he does it almost every shift in the offensive zone. He did it once tonight as someone was turning it over (I think it was Sillinger) and it took Bjorkstrand making an excellent backchecking play to prevent a goal against.

I love Boqs tools. He has everything you want in an offensive defenseman. Obviously he needs to bulk up and get stronger in the DZ. But his play with the puck and in the offensive zone rivals that of Werenski.

I was reading stuff on him in his Chicago days and Colliton seemed to imply he didn't think Boqvist was taking the defensive end or his conditioning seriously enough. I hope he's made strides in this area this year for us, but his playing time seems to imply it might still be an issue.

 

[ndd17]

I'm all for him changing his number... its just not a healthy number to wear..

This.

 

[Cowumbus]

15 minutes of ice time and another goal tonight in his return game from injury.

The guy is good. Really good. I'm not going to beat a dead horse and talk about his injuries again, but he also needs to learn to be smarter with his pinches.

He's extremely aggressive in looking to go up in the play, join the rush, or take a chance on a back door rush to the net from the point. I like all of this, but he does it almost every shift in the offensive zone. He did it once tonight as someone was turning it over (I think it was Sillinger) and it took Bjorkstrand making an excellent backchecking play to prevent a goal against.

I love Boqs tools. He has everything you want in an offensive defenseman. Obviously he needs to bulk up and get stronger in the DZ. But his play with the puck and in the offensive zone rivals that of Werenski.

I was reading stuff on him in his Chicago days and Colliton seemed to imply he didn't think Boqvist was taking the defensive end or his conditioning seriously enough. I hope he's made strides in this area this year for us, but his playing time seems to imply it might still be an issue.

If he ends up as a Torey Krug caliber player we will be in a good spot.

 

[Xoggz22]

Any improvement on the back end play will be so important for this team. He doesn't need to be a bruiser but better positioning, improved gaps and a little more strength to absorb a little bumping. Cut down on the risky pinches as @CBJWerenski8 noted and we have another stud. Still very young and a little commitment to the conditioning and defensive side.... look out.

 

[majormajor]

Any improvement on the back end play will be so important for this team. He doesn't need to be a bruiser but better positioning, improved gaps and a little more strength to absorb a little bumping. Cut down on the risky pinches as @CBJWerenski8 noted and we have another stud. Still very young and a little commitment to the conditioning and defensive side.... look out.

I'm not saying he can't get there but I have a longer list for him than that. I can't stand his positioning in front of the net (and neither can Elvis).

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Hawks fan coming in peace....what do you guys think of Boqvist as a skater?
Hawks fans tend to be split on this subject. There's a group that thinks he's awful and there's a group that things he's fine to good.

You guys are the only fanbase that has watched him as much as we have, so I'm curious.

Thanks.

 

[LetsGOJackets!!]

IMO his skating is fine. He just needs to be a little more defensively aware. He doesn’t have that makeup speed gear to get back when the play tilts behind him. That can be corrected with better positioning & a 60:40 mentality

 

[CBJWerenski8]

His skating is fine. He’s not an amazing skater but he gets to where he needs to go and his speed doesn’t put him in danger. So he’s fine

 

[thebus88]

Hawks fan coming in peace....what do you guys think of Boqvist as a skater?
Hawks fans tend to be split on this subject. There's a group that thinks he's awful and there's a group that things he's fine to good.

You guys are the only fanbase that has watched him as much as we have, so I'm curious.

Thanks.

His agility and acceleration are an issue.

His hands/stickhandling and passing make up for it offensively, but, his skating along with his “intensity” issues are something that need to be improved, as they are just as much of a problem defensively as his “defensive awareness”.

 

[Finner]

Definitely top4 material 5v5 hockey. Skating is above average, puck handling is great, understanding game in offensive zone is solid, shot is accurate, can be game evolving motor in PP.

Problems are physical plays, he is too lightweight and not good enough skater to get off before hits or sticks. Understanding the game in defensive zone is another minus and his plays without the puck.

Young developing puck handling dman, im glad that we have him

 

[tunnelvision]

His hands/stickhandling make up for it offensively, but, his skating along with his “intensity” issues are something that need to be improved, as they are just as much of a problem defensively as his “defensive awareness”.

Intensity issues would be my biggest complaint about his game. I believe that offensively oriented dman whose hands are above average but who isn't a slick skater like Werenski (who imo also lacks apparent intensity) needs to compensate for that shortcoming in some other areas in order to become a top-6 defender of a playoffs making team. Increased strength and intensity is what I'd like to see from him this preseason. I think it's more realistic to expect improvements in those aspects than hoping his positional awareness or skating have really changed for the better in one summer.

I agree with most here that his skating in general is closer to "fine" level than awful or good.

 

[Doggy]

Since this appears to have become the de facto 2022 CBJ Defense thread...

 

[majormajor]

Intensity issues would be my biggest complaint about his game. I believe that offensively oriented dman whose hands are above average but who isn't a slick skater like Werenski (who imo also lacks apparent intensity) needs to compensate for that shortcoming in some other areas in order to become a top-6 defender of a playoffs making team. Increased strength and intensity is what I'd like to see from him this preseason. I think it's more realistic to expect improvements in those aspects than hoping his positional awareness or skating have really changed for the better in one summer.

I agree with most here that his skating in general is closer to "fine" level than awful or good.

It would be nice if he had a quicker first step but he doesn't seem to know where to be much of the time. He's standing in Elvis' eyes instead of challenging the shooter, not even moving, what good is speed in that situation. That's the type of player I send to the AHL and say "come back when you learn how to play defense".

 

[Cowumbus]

Since this appears to have become the de facto 2022 CBJ Defense thread...

He didn’t give any reasons as to why he’s going to break out other than “this guys good”

 

[KJ Dangler]

So.. lots of unfair slander gets thrown Boquists way. He now has 5 points in his last 5 games .. 10 points in his last 13 games played .. And btw , he’s 22 yrs old , playing on a bad team..

 

[CBJWerenski8]

I was a big fan of his last year and you can see his offensive potential.

If he doesn't improve his defending then he's just going to be a 3rd pairing PPQB. And with Zach Werenski returning next year, he won't even be on the top unit.

I don't see any noticeable improvement from last year in his own zone, which was atrocious. He's still injury prone, which isn't good. And although he might have taken his conditioning more seriously this summer than he has in the past, it's not showing up with more minutes because he's such an anchor defensively. He can't do anything about being small, but he CAN do something about being weak, and he still looks very weak in the corners, in front of the net, and in puck battles.

I'm open to keeping him, but the only D who should be "untouchable" is Werenski, but I could also see the value in shopping him for a center or a more valuable two way defenseman around the same age. The D needs a complete overhaul, and unlike a player like Peeke he might actually have some value due to his offensive upside.

My defenseman rankings are this:

Werenski>Blankenburg>Boqvist>Bean>Peeke>Gudbranson

Excluded Gavrikov because he's gone. (He'd be at #2 BTW)

Since Blankenburg is also small and injury prone with not as great offensive upside, I don't see him having more trade value than Boqvist. Jake Bean probably has next to no trade value. Peeke might just because he's a right shot. Gudbranson is unmovable.

So if you're going to make moves to shore up the defense, it seems Boqvist is the most obvious answer to get some value back

 

[majormajor]

I was a big fan of his last year and you can see his offensive potential.

If he doesn't improve his defending then he's just going to be a 3rd pairing PPQB. And with Zach Werenski returning next year, he won't even be on the top unit.

I don't see any noticeable improvement from last year in his own zone, which was atrocious. He's still injury prone, which isn't good. And although he might have taken his conditioning more seriously this summer than he has in the past, it's not showing up with more minutes because he's such an anchor defensively. He can't do anything about being small, but he CAN do something about being weak, and he still looks very weak in the corners, in front of the net, and in puck battles.

I'm open to keeping him, but the only D who should be "untouchable" is Werenski, but I could also see the value in shopping him for a center or a more valuable two way defenseman around the same age. The D needs a complete overhaul, and unlike a player like Peeke he might actually have some value due to his offensive upside.

My defenseman rankings are this:

Werenski>Blankenburg>Boqvist>Bean>Peeke>Gudbranson

Excluded Gavrikov because he's gone. (He'd be at #2 BTW)

Since Blankenburg is also small and injury prone with not as great offensive upside, I don't see him having more trade value than Boqvist. Jake Bean probably has next to no trade value. Peeke might just because he's a right shot. Gudbranson is unmovable.

So if you're going to make moves to shore up the defense, it seems Boqvist is the most obvious answer to get some value back

Call me crazy but I think teams love players like Peeke. They'll think they can use him better then we do and get a playoff warrior type out of him. Probably never more than a #4, but there's still value in that.

Boqvist looks much better to me this year but the long term fit is still not looking great. We have a certain young RD joining the team soon and we'd like to give him the easy minutes plus powerplay time. That's Boqvist's current role.

For the record, I'd have Boqvist over Werenski on the PP when Z returns and maybe long term even have Jiricek and Boqvist run PPs which would take Z off entirely. But #2PP roles don't offer a ton of value and don't compensate for Boqvist being very weak defensively 5v5. So I'd still rather trade Boqvist, even though he's been fun to watch lately.

 

[KJ Dangler]

I was a big fan of his last year and you can see his offensive potential.

If he doesn't improve his defending then he's just going to be a 3rd pairing PPQB. And with Zach Werenski returning next year, he won't even be on the top unit.

I don't see any noticeable improvement from last year in his own zone, which was atrocious. He's still injury prone, which isn't good. And although he might have taken his conditioning more seriously this summer than he has in the past, it's not showing up with more minutes because he's such an anchor defensively. He can't do anything about being small, but he CAN do something about being weak, and he still looks very weak in the corners, in front of the net, and in puck battles.

I'm open to keeping him, but the only D who should be "untouchable" is Werenski, but I could also see the value in shopping him for a center or a more valuable two way defenseman around the same age. The D needs a complete overhaul, and unlike a player like Peeke he might actually have some value due to his offensive upside.

My defenseman rankings are this:

Werenski>Blankenburg>Boqvist>Bean>Peeke>Gudbranson

Excluded Gavrikov because he's gone. (He'd be at #2 BTW)

Since Blankenburg is also small and injury prone with not as great offensive upside, I don't see him having more trade value than Boqvist. Jake Bean probably has next to no trade value. Peeke might just because he's a right shot. Gudbranson is unmovable.

So if you're going to make moves to shore up the defense, it seems Boqvist is the most obvious answer to get some value back

I was a big fan of his last year and you can see his offensive potential.

If he doesn't improve his defending then he's just going to be a 3rd pairing PPQB. And with Zach Werenski returning next year, he won't even be on the top unit.

I don't see any noticeable improvement from last year in his own zone, which was atrocious. He's still injury prone, which isn't good. And although he might have taken his conditioning more seriously this summer than he has in the past, it's not showing up with more minutes because he's such an anchor defensively. He can't do anything about being small, but he CAN do something about being weak, and he still looks very weak in the corners, in front of the net, and in puck battles.

I'm open to keeping him, but the only D who should be "untouchable" is Werenski, but I could also see the value in shopping him for a center or a more valuable two way defenseman around the same age. The D needs a complete overhaul, and unlike a player like Peeke he might actually have some value due to his offensive upside.

My defenseman rankings are this:

Werenski>Blankenburg>Boqvist>Bean>Peeke>Gudbranson

Excluded Gavrikov because he's gone. (He'd be at #2 BTW)

Since Blankenburg is also small and injury prone with not as great offensive upside, I don't see him having more trade value than Boqvist. Jake Bean probably has next to no trade value. Peeke might just because he's a right shot. Gudbranson is unmovable.

So if you're going to make moves to shore up the defense, it seems Boqvist is the most obvious answer to get some value back

Honestly , I won’t be surprised if Boquist has the higher offensive ceiling than Werenski. Boquist is already better at keeping the puck in the offensive zone during the powerplay , i would dare to say already a better passer, and he’s not near as clumsy as Zach . Defensively he’s a work in progress , but he’s definitely improved over last year . I agree that Gavrikov is gone .. Blankenburg , I just don’t see him sticking at the NHL level unless he drastically changes how he plays , and if he does that , I’m not sure he’s an effective nhl player . Either a trade is brewing , or Blankenburg once again is hurt worse than thought, as Jake Christiansen was just called up .

 

[CBJx614]

I was a big fan of his last year and you can see his offensive potential.

If he doesn't improve his defending then he's just going to be a 3rd pairing PPQB. And with Zach Werenski returning next year, he won't even be on the top unit.

I don't see any noticeable improvement from last year in his own zone, which was atrocious. He's still injury prone, which isn't good. And although he might have taken his conditioning more seriously this summer than he has in the past, it's not showing up with more minutes because he's such an anchor defensively. He can't do anything about being small, but he CAN do something about being weak, and he still looks very weak in the corners, in front of the net, and in puck battles.

I'm open to keeping him, but the only D who should be "untouchable" is Werenski, but I could also see the value in shopping him for a center or a more valuable two way defenseman around the same age. The D needs a complete overhaul, and unlike a player like Peeke he might actually have some value due to his offensive upside.

My defenseman rankings are this:

Werenski>Blankenburg>Boqvist>Bean>Peeke>Gudbranson

Excluded Gavrikov because he's gone. (He'd be at #2 BTW)

Since Blankenburg is also small and injury prone with not as great offensive upside, I don't see him having more trade value than Boqvist. Jake Bean probably has next to no trade value. Peeke might just because he's a right shot. Gudbranson is unmovable.

So if you're going to make moves to shore up the defense, it seems Boqvist is the most obvious answer to get some value back

This criticism sounds eerily similar to the criticisms we all had of our current #1 D in his first few years in the league while he was playing second fiddle to #3..

Not saying that Boqvist will fix all his issues, as he might not have the frame to ever actually do it. But he's still extremely young and has looked much improved from last year or even the beginning of this season.