Player Discussion Ethan Bear: It's a Bear Market

[Zaddy]

He's probably already the best puck-mover on the team. That alone makes him very valuable to the Oilers. Really impressed with the steps he has taken this year. Clearly a guy on a mission who put in the work in the offseason, big kudos to him. He has really grown on me over the last couple of weeks. If he can keep it up and Bouchard develops as expected, a top4 of Klefbom, Nurse, Bear and Bouchard is really not that bad. Still lacking a true #1D of course but that's still a pretty strong and versatile group which should complement each other nicely.

 

[OilerTitanFan]

So you really believe that the plan is for Bear to step in from the AHL and be a top 2 defender?

Yes. That IS the plan. You think they started him in the NHL to play 3rd pairing minutes?

 

[OilerTitanFan]

He's probably already the best puck-mover on the team. That alone makes him very valuable to the Oilers. Really impressed with the steps he has taken this year. Clearly a guy on a mission who put in the work in the offseason, big kudos to him. He has really grown on me over the last couple of weeks. If he can keep it up and Bouchard develops as expected, a top4 of Klefbom, Nurse, Bear and Bouchard is really not that bad. Still lacking a true #1D of course but that's still a pretty strong and versatile group which should complement each other nicely.

I believe Bouchard will be the de facto #1 D. If not, it is a wasted pick. Seeing Dobson already playing and Quinn Hughes scoring last night makes me believe Bouchard is ready to at least be on the second paring and first unit pp. Why is it other teams are starting their 19 yr olds with key minutes while our guy is in the dumps. The league is getting younger and Holland should get with the program.

 

[Zaddy]

I believe Bouchard will be the de facto #1 D. If not, it is a wasted pick. Seeing Dobson already playing and Quinn Hughes scoring last night makes me believe Bouchard is ready to at least be on the second paring and first unit pp. Why is it other teams are starting their 19 yr olds with key minutes while our guy is in the dumps. The league is getting younger and Holland should get with the program.

Disagree. The Oilers are young/inexperienced enough on the blueline already and there's really no point in rushing Bouchard to the NHL. He has things to work on still and could definitely use the time spent in the AHL. It's not going to hurt him in any way. Now he can round out his game in peace.

The problem with players getting to the NHL too early is that mistakes are really not allowed at that level, which means players will only be put in situations where they can play to their strengths, thus never really improving the weak parts of their game. It's far more beneficial to Bouchard to play big, all-situations minutes in the AHL than sheltered offensive minutes in the NHL.

Also I think it's unrealistic to say that someone drafted 10th overall needs to be a #1D or it's a wasted pick. Even if you draft a D with the 1st overall pick it's not a guarantee to be a #1D. If Bouchard ends up a reliable top pair D I will be very happy.

Anyway this thread is about Ethan Bear, not Evan Bouchard

 

[Anarchism]

Disagree. The Oilers are young/inexperienced enough on the blueline already and there's really no point in rushing Bouchard to the NHL. He has things to work on still and could definitely use the time spent in the AHL. It's not going to hurt him in any way. Now he can round out his game in peace.

The problem with players getting to the NHL too early is that mistakes are really not allowed at that level, which means players will only be put in situations where they can play to their strengths, thus never really improving the weak parts of their game. It's far more beneficial to Bouchard to play big, all-situations minutes in the AHL than sheltered offensive minutes in the NHL.

Also I think it's unrealistic to say that someone drafted 10th overall needs to be a #1D or it's a wasted pick. Even if you draft a D with the 1st overall pick it's not a guarantee to be a #1D. If Bouchard ends up a reliable top pair D I will be very happy.

Anyway this thread is about Ethan Bear, not Evan Bouchard

 

[Drivesaitl]

-3 and zero points on the season. Outshot when on the ice every game except for the Islander one. Too much fan fair going on, he still got ways to go.

Sorry but pretty misleading as Bear has been involved in multiple scoring plays this season and including last night. Bear closes on a check behind his net, strips the puck, makes a clean break pass and the Oilers go up to score with an assist to his partner Nurse. Bear made the whole play happen and gets nothing for it.

This guy is playing rock solid considering his age, experience, that he's being required right now to be a 2D. Nurse and Bear are often enough getting the most severe looks and easily as difficult of minutes as Klef/Persson.

Klef looked like a goof last night shooting right into the block and handing the Devils a breakaway and goal. If Bear or Nurse had done that the knives would be out. Sorry, just saying.

Bear could turn out to be one of the best D in this org. he just turned 22. The sky is the limit with this kid and his game is growing at a fantastic rate. This guy is such a gamer.

Bear is a rookie, playing top pairing, and played 24 minutes last night on the road.. That in itself is incredible and obviously he's impressing the hell out of the coaching staff as his numbers are going straight up.

 

[Anarchism]

Evan Bouchard's development and Willie Lagessons's development certainly could have a major impact on the type and place of Bear's deployment. Right now Bear is learning the defensive side of things at the NHL level. He is being used to cover Nurse's defensive downside somewhat....so Nurse can do his thing... and that is all well and good for Bear at this point. Can Nurse become a top pairing defender able to play both sides of the puck?

Likely if Bear continues his development for the next couple of months the coaches will then start giving him a few opportunities on the power play and some greater rope in the offensive zone starts.

If Nurse falters down the stretch and both Bouchard and Lagesson are playing at an Nhl level and Bear is starting to show some offensive flair by then ....the make of our defense could look very different for the last 20 games of the season. Obviously this is all supposition this point. Bouchard could prove just to be a offensive defenseman without enough defensive acumen at the NHL level. Maybe Bear will become very good at defending and passing....maybe Nurse and Bear will become a top pairing. Lots of options at this point. It sure feels so much better than in past years.

Can you even imagine at this point something like Nurse and Pulju being traded before the trade deadline for Elhers and Brossoit/somebody? Wow...really getting too high here...need to put the weed away!

 

[alphahelix]

I believe Bouchard will be the de facto #1 D. If not, it is a wasted pick. Seeing Dobson already playing and Quinn Hughes scoring last night makes me believe Bouchard is ready to at least be on the second paring and first unit pp. Why is it other teams are starting their 19 yr olds with key minutes while our guy is in the dumps. The league is getting younger and Holland should get with the program.

Uh, Cuz those other guys are a lot better than Bouchard. We can argue about whether Bouchard is a better playmaker/shooter, maybe its the case.. but he’s a lot slower and worse defensively, so he is not as “ready” as those guys. He will make the show, but he is going to have to learn a few things first.

 

[Chabot84]

Can’t even pick him in the sportsnet hockey pool, he should only cost 1 point and I was looking to grab him for a cheap D so I can ice better forwards. You can grab Bouchard though lol

 

[Pointteen]

Good instincts. Good composure. Our young D may finally start paying off.

Bear looks good. Persson impressed me a few times as well.

Early, adrenaline, season isn't going yet. But when Bear is fitting in how he is, and making the decisions he is, I'm very interested in seeing how far we can push the Nurse Bear pairing.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Sorry but pretty misleading as Bear has been involved in multiple scoring plays this season and including last night. Bear closes on a check behind his net, strips the puck, makes a clean break pass and the Oilers go up to score with an assist to his partner Nurse. Bear made the whole play happen and gets nothing for it.

This guy is playing rock solid considering his age, experience, that he's being required right now to be a 2D. Nurse and Bear are often enough getting the most severe looks and easily as difficult of minutes as Klef/Persson.

Klef looked like a goof last night shooting right into the block and handing the Devils a breakaway and goal. If Bear or Nurse had done that the knives would be out. Sorry, just saying.

Bear could turn out to be one of the best D in this org. he just turned 22. The sky is the limit with this kid and his game is growing at a fantastic rate. This guy is such a gamer.

Bear is a rookie, playing top pairing, and played 24 minutes last night on the road.. That in itself is incredible and obviously he's impressing the hell out of the coaching staff as his numbers are going straight up.

That first goal was all because of Bear, the work he did in his own zone made it all possible.

He was terrific last night. Several times he beat out some of their better players in puck battles, was able to get control and move the puck to an open player and facilitate a break out. He's notably quicker as well, his first steps have really improved and you can see him getting to loose pucks faster in his own zone.

 

[bucks_oil]

Hes been looking really good this season. You can tell hes quicker and stronger.

Nurse and Bear complement each other well. Larsson and Nurse have trouble getting pucks out their zone. So this is a beautiful change.

Still early though, and hes a rookie so hopefully he can keep it up long term.

That's what I've noticed too... this kid has plenty of agility defensively for a guy that had the "skating may hold him back" label. Great to see that he's put in the work. Very likable kid too.

 

[bucks_oil]

Disagree. The Oilers are young/inexperienced enough on the blueline already and there's really no point in rushing Bouchard to the NHL. He has things to work on still and could definitely use the time spent in the AHL. It's not going to hurt him in any way. Now he can round out his game in peace.

The problem with players getting to the NHL too early is that mistakes are really not allowed at that level, which means players will only be put in situations where they can play to their strengths, thus never really improving the weak parts of their game. It's far more beneficial to Bouchard to play big, all-situations minutes in the AHL than sheltered offensive minutes in the NHL.

Also I think it's unrealistic to say that someone drafted 10th overall needs to be a #1D or it's a wasted pick. Even if you draft a D with the 1st overall pick it's not a guarantee to be a #1D. If Bouchard ends up a reliable top pair D I will be very happy.

Anyway this thread is about Ethan Bear, not Evan Bouchard

Completely agree.... Bear had two seasons in the AHL getting to play top minutes in all situations. That's how you round out a D prospect.

You can't have Bouchard playing 3rd pairing minutes up here this year... you want him eating 25 minutes a night like he did in the OHL, only doing it against men for a year. Even 40 games is fine... but let's get this future stud D into as many "I gotta be THE GUY" situations this year as we can.

He only has one year to learn that against men before it really counts. This growth year will do him wonders IMO.

 

[Canovin]

For some reasons, some players don't look all that great in the AHL. Klef, Drai, and now Bear. Don't be surprised if we have more gems in our systems once they cross over to the NHL

 

[Hopelesslucicfan]

For some reasons, some players don't look all that great in the AHL. Klef, Drai, and now Bear. Don't be surprised if we have more gems in our systems once they cross over to the NHL

I thought I read last year that bear had played well in the AHL but struggled with injuries. 31 points in 52 games is pretty solid for a 21 year old dman in the AHL.

I think he was just overshadowed last year by everyone’s hype for Jones after his stint up here.

 

[OilerTitanFan]

Uh, Cuz those other guys are a lot better than Bouchard. We can argue about whether Bouchard is a better playmaker/shooter, maybe its the case.. but he’s a lot slower and worse defensively, so he is not as “ready” as those guys. He will make the show, but he is going to have to learn a few things first.

I guess we should've gone with Dobson then.

 

[OilerTitanFan]

Disagree. The Oilers are young/inexperienced enough on the blueline already and there's really no point in rushing Bouchard to the NHL. He has things to work on still and could definitely use the time spent in the AHL. It's not going to hurt him in any way. Now he can round out his game in peace.

The problem with players getting to the NHL too early is that mistakes are really not allowed at that level, which means players will only be put in situations where they can play to their strengths, thus never really improving the weak parts of their game. It's far more beneficial to Bouchard to play big, all-situations minutes in the AHL than sheltered offensive minutes in the NHL.

Also I think it's unrealistic to say that someone drafted 10th overall needs to be a #1D or it's a wasted pick. Even if you draft a D with the 1st overall pick it's not a guarantee to be a #1D. If Bouchard ends up a reliable top pair D I will be very happy.

Anyway this thread is about Ethan Bear, not Evan Bouchard

Disagree with bolded. If you draft first overall on a D, that D better be a #1D. You don't pass up on a top line franchise forward to pick a #2/#3 D. Unless that forward is Nail Yakupov.

 

[alphahelix]

I guess we should've gone with Dobson then.

I think Dobson was always the safer choice. His skating is terrific. That is important in making the translation to the NHL. He is pretty good at everything else, too, with good size. That is safe. Now, if you wanna go for the home run and pray that Bouchard can develop the rest of his game, then go ahead and make that bet. I think I would have preferred Dobson just based on his skating. However, I don’t think this case is closed. I am still hoping Bouchard can become a dominant offensive D. We should all be.

 

[Billy Barou]

I don't post here a lot anymore, but I've been so impressed with Bear's play this year I had to say something.

Last night he separates his man from the puck, takes that puck and skates to space, avoids the check, then makes a sublime pass through a defender's feet that results in a goal where all 5 Oilers touch the puck. He doesn't get a hit, a takeaway or a point but that goal is 100% initiated by Bear. Points and +/- do not tell the entire story.



I've watched this clip over and over and I can't stop.

 

[oXo Cube]

While I've also been visually impressed by Bear, the statline of 0-0-0 -3 4SOG does stand out in a bad way.

Also on the ice for 6GA 5 on 5, the highest on the team so far.

 

[O.T.]

I guess we should've gone with Dobson then.

Bouchard started last season in the NHL. Does that mean the Canucks should have drafted him instead of Hughes? It’s not a race to be the first one playing in the NHL. Teams draft based on upside, and the future. Players develop at different rates and development is not always linear.

 

[gordonhught]

I guess we should've gone with Dobson then.

Nope, should have drafted Wahlstrom.

 

[KlefDown]

While I've also been visually impressed by Bear, the statline of 0-0-0 -3 4SOG does stand out in a bad way.

Also on the ice for 6GA 5 on 5, the highest on the team so far.

Can't blame him/Nurse for two of them because they were the pairing on the ice both times Smith made his blunders vs LA

 

[Paralyzer]

This was a question I asked him 3 years ago. Looks like he definitely improved his speed in his game AND transitions very well.

 

[gordonhught]

While I've also been visually impressed by Bear, the statline of 0-0-0 -3 4SOG does stand out in a bad way.

Also on the ice for 6GA 5 on 5, the highest on the team so far.

Not a Bear apologist, but a few things worth mentioning:

- Nurse gets the tough assignments, Bear gets dragged along. Bear is playing against harder competition than the other D pairings
- Bear is -2 for two Smith giveaways resulting in goals
- Bear is playing 50% to 60% more 5v5 minutes than the bottom pairing (Russell Benning) who are getting easier 5v5 minutes
- Bear did not play in the NHL last year. He may as well be considered a rookie
- coach is playing Bear most 5v5 minutes of any D-man on the team (this is despite Benning being +5)
- Bear is visually better