Post-Game Talk: I’d rather have gone to the dentist for a root canal

[WaitingForUser]

This assumes that the player would have progressed well with more minutes and more games played last year. What if he had been given the minutes and proven himself incapable last year? Where would that leave us this year? What if the coach (who nobody likes but who does have decades of experience watching NHL practices) was right and the kid just wasn’t ready? Maybe the coach saw what he saw and just decided to kick the can down the road?

Bouchard keeps getting every benefit of the doubt from this fan base. He’s a stud. He’s a PP wizard. Club needs to dump Barrie and give all his minutes to Bouchard. The rose colored glasses have been deployed with abandon when it comes to Bouchard since the day he was drafted. Since day one (in the NHL) the only really good thing I’ve seen in this player’s toolkit is his big shot. He’s a defensive liability, and in some ways a bigger let down than Barrie because he has the body type to play a tougher physical game but he just refuses to do it. The other day I saw him cross check an attacking forward to the ice and I almost fell off my sofa. Had to rewind to make sure I’d seen what I thought I saw.

I’m not too down on the kid because I like players that play an offensive game. He could score a lot of points in this league. But for the sake of the team I hope someone teaches him the basics of defending against NHL level forwards. Cause he sure doesn’t get it yet. And it’s costing the club big time right now.

Most if the reason that Bouchard did not play many games last year was to keep him expansion draft exempt too. Now had we known ahead of time that Larrson was the one walking to Seattle we could have not worried about that. But I hardly think that given the option of Larrson and Bouchard the Kraken would have chosen Larrson. So it may have been a moot point anyway. The safe test thing to do with Bouchard was let him stay up with the big club and observe last year. It was the right move hindsight or not.

 

[Oilhawks]

Yeah, it's kind of baffling that Bouchard didn't get more reps in last year, especially since everybody knew that the RD pipeline and RD market was sparse coming into this season

I still don’t get why they couldn’t have run 7D for some of the games with weaker competition last season. Guess it’s a mystery

 

[Oilhawks]

Most if the reason that Bouchard did not play many games last year was to keep him expansion draft exempt too. Now had we known ahead of time that Larrson was the one walking to Seattle we could have not worried about that. But I hardly think that given the option of Larrson and Bouchard the Kraken would have chosen Larrson. So it may have been a moot point anyway. The safe test thing to do with Bouchard was let him stay up with the big club and observe last year. It was the right move hindsight or not.

Not that I don’t believe you but are you 100% sure he would not have been exempt if he played a bit more? I thought he would be either way

 

[WaitingForUser]

Not that I don’t believe you but are you 100% sure he would not have been exempt if he played a bit more? I thought he would be either way

I remember the heads talking about it in the summer and during the season last year. It was all about Elc status and pro games played. If I recall it 9 more games or something before his expansion draft status kicked in.

 

[Stoneman89]

We could get a little bigger if we add Niemelainen on the blueline and Malone up front. Faster and more skilled would maybe be Broberg and Holloway. Overall we need to improve our team speed, size and compete level IMO.

As much as I'd like to, I can't see Broberg and Holloway in the playoffs this year. I think they both need more time, same with Nemo. You never know though with injuries, but they do finally have a vet as insurance this year in Russell. If anyone plays, I could see Malone, but again, it would have to be due to injury.