Player Discussion Tyson Barrie II: To Extend or Not to extend? At What Price/Term?

[MessierII]

Doesn't it seem counter-productive to just throw him in that spot though? The guy was used as a 7th D/taxi squad guy last year. You don't think there is significant risk in destroying this player's confidence by throwing him in the deep end? I'd prefer to hold him back a bit, but that will require getting a really good #3 LD in case Klefbom can't go (which I am assuming is the case until we know otherwise). A veteran, but someone significantly better than the failed experiment Kulikov or Kris Russell.
Nurse - Larsson
Actual good #3D - Bouchard
Russell/Jones/Lagesson/Broberg/Samurokov - Bear

That third pair kind of frightens me as well. Too many young guys there who are prone to young guy mistakes, and Russell is a bit long in the tooth to play nightly in my opinion.

I'm not lobbying to keep Barrie. I don't think we can afford him, and I don't think he brings enough to warrant what someone else will pay him anyway. I am lobbying to not overexpose Bouchard by throwing him top pair.

All of Bouchards peers from his draft class are playing significant roles on NHL teams. If anything we have over ripened him already.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Having a Barrie around to learn and mentor from (along with Nurse, and potentially Larsson) and shelter him a bit at first would be far better off for Bouchard in the long term, rather than throwing to the wolves, hoping he won't sink and have no depth again incase Bouchard does hit a wall.

But that is what this season was. It's the reason why Bouchsrd stayed in Edmonton during the season vs. going to the AHL. While he should have gotten more (RE: some) playing time, as he was essentially red-shirted for this season, I think the organisation's plan (even when the ink was still wet on Barrie's contract) was for him to get the role in 21/22.


I know this board has seen a ton of s**t through the decade of darkness, but I get the feeling that people view a rookie as just a rookie, and it's impossible for them to start above the 3rd line/3rd pairing.

But there's a difference between a teenager who's only played in junior, and a guy that's 21/22 and has several (successful) pro seasons under his beat. Puljujarvi and Yamamoto are two good recent examples of this. How many people wrote off Pulju before this season because he struggled as a teenager in the NHL, same with Yamamoto before his new years call-up at the start of 2020?

The Oil have struggled with rookies because they just promoted teenagers directly to the NHL, or brought in guys that suddenly "put it together" after 4/5 unimpressive seasons in the AHL. (basically AAAA players). Add in the fact that being an ELC in the AHL in the Oilers system was basically career suicide, as the Oil couldn't nurture and develop talent if their lives depended on it, and you had the perfect receipt for continual rookie failure. Either they were good enough off the hop, or they were going to drown; there was no middle ground.

Before Benson and Marody (or rather, Woodcroft), the Oil haven't had any (or almost any*) ELC players put up a near PPG rate in the AHL over the last decade. (*Quickly off the top of my head Rajala and Omark are the only ELCs that came close to a PPG.)

But put mature prospects who have continually shown well at the pro level in positions to succeed (what successful organisations do) , and more often than not they will. This is why I'm fine with the idea of having Bouchard on the ice with Nurse and McDrai next season. Much like how Pulju (22 back in January, and much closer to being fully developed) excelled this season with McDavid, even though he basically came in as a rookie after continually failing as a teenager.

 

[McTonyBrar]

All of Bouchards peers from his draft class are playing significant roles on NHL teams. If anything we have over ripened him already.

We already know he’s an NHL regular. There was no room for him unfortunately. Big deal. We’ve complained about this all season. Can we stop it now lol

 

[MessierII]

We already know he’s an NHL regular. There was no room for him unfortunately. Big deal. We’ve complained about this all season. Can we stop it now lol

I don’t actually have an issue over how he was used this year. I just think he should 100% be a regular next year and get the reigns on the PP. That PP is going to his That just doesn’t happen with Barrie here. Loved having Barrie here this year but it’s not the move going forward. Drai has 4 years left. We need to get Bouchard going on this PP this coming year.

 

[McTonyBrar]

I don’t actually have an issue over how he was used this year. I just think he should 100% be a regular next year and get the reigns on the PP. That PP is going to his That just doesn’t happen with Barrie here. Loved having Barrie here this year but it’s not the move going forward. Drai has 4 years left. We need to get Bouchard going on this PP this coming year.

No doubt he will next season. Barrie is definitely not coming back and you’re right. It’s time to take the next step

 

[Little Fury]

I don’t actually have an issue over how he was used this year. I just think he should 100% be a regular next year and get the reigns on the PP. That PP is going to his That just doesn’t happen with Barrie here. Loved having Barrie here this year but it’s not the move going forward. Drai has 4 years left. We need to get Bouchard going on this PP this coming year.

Really? You don't think he would have been better served by actually playing hockey?

 

[MessierII]

Really? You don't think he would have been better served by actually playing hockey?

Ideally he would have been in the minors but it’s the way it goes with the unusual circumstances this year. He still got 37 pro games in. That’s better than a lot of other prospects.

 

[Blue Line Turnover]

I think that he'll exceed my expectations, tbh.

I wonder if it'll be:
Nurse-Bouchard
Klef- Larsson
Lagesson-Bear

Add Josh Manson at the TDL to shelter Bouchard for the playoffs (hopefully)

 

[Mr Positive]

Really? You don't think he would have been better served by actually playing hockey?

He wasnt just press box furniture though. He got to play in practices with NHL players, both in the taxi squad and the main line up. There have been successful players brought up that way.

 

[Little Fury]

He wasnt just press box furniture though. He got to play in practices with NHL players, both in the taxi squad and the main line up. There have been successful players brought up that way.

Like who?

 

[McTonyBrar]

Really? You don't think he would have been better served by actually playing hockey?

Technically, he did play hockey this year (In Europe)

 

[gordonhught]

Like who?

Bouchard

 

[Little Fury]

Bouchard

Uh...

 

[oobga]

Bouchard

 

[gordonhught]

Bouchard Bouchard

 

[nabob]

Setting him up to fail is throwing Bouchard in as a rookie, to fulfill the role of a vet who's been in the league for 6 or 7 years and have no buffer to shelter in case he stutters a bit getting use to being pressures and keyed in on by the best hockey players in the world.

If you're expecting Bouchard to be on the ice at 5 on 5 with McDavid to feed him the puck, he's going to be going face to face against the best defensive competition in the entire league, and coaches would 1000% go in after the rookie to cut off the flow of the puck going up ice to McDavid, and they will force him to make bad reads, bad passes etc.

Having a Barrie around to learn and mentor from (along with Nurse, and potentially Larsson) and shelter him a bit at first would be far better off for Bouchard in the long term, rather than throwing to the wolves, hoping he won't sink and have no depth again incase Bouchard does hit a wall.

Isn’t that what this season was for…

 

[gordonhught]

Isn’t that what this season was for…

This exactly. Now the growing pains are deferred to the upcoming season when the team is supposed to be in a better position to contend.

Waste of a year.