Who have you heard that from?
Literally everyone has said hes lazy in the Defensive zone, which is a work ethic issue.
Player Discussion Evan Bouchard: One for the Money, Two for the Bouch
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Literally everyone has said hes lazy in the Defensive zone, which is a work ethic issue.
SupremeTeam16
5-14-6-1
Injuries are definitely a concern with him but when he’s healthy the guy can still skate and still play. Detroit leaned heavily on him because of their bad depth but he would do well on a blue line where he’s not asked to take so many tough minutes.
Chances are Bouchard forces his way onto the roster next year and makes Green redundant but at under 2M for a year Green is a good gamble and the type of guy you like to have at practice and in the room.
From what I've seen from Bouchard, he does defend differently than most but I don't think it's laziness. He plays on the right side of the puck and takes away options from the opponent and kind of lets them get themselves into trouble and then makes a play. It's more opportunistic than aggressive but it is effective. I can see how it comes off as looking lazy though.
The only comparison that comes to mind is Pronger who also defended well without expending a lot of energy. Bouchard doesn't have the mean streak but that style of defending allowed Pronger to play half the game on most nights without getting gassed.
To me work ethic is about practice and off ice training. People call Draisaitl lazy in game threads all the time but you can't doubt his training and commitment to become a better player.
ConnorMcMullet
#12 Colby Cave
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You hit the nail on the head. There's a big difference between work ethic/commitment and on-ice intensity. Bouchard and Draisaitl are both players that excel in the former category but at times might seem to be lacking in the latter.
Aerchon
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The Broberg comments are absolutely bizarre. So disappointed that even within the organization they have his ceiling a second pairing type at best.
Green also did exactly as I expected. I have no idea where the hell the "he can still skate" narrative came from. He was the slowest worst defender we had and the team was far better without him on it. Holland, temporarily anyways, was saved from being embarrassed by having two out of three putrid deadline aquisitions. I always, and will always, question Holland... because his work over the last 5+ years has been very... questionable. If he signs Green period it will be bad. Not even for a 1 mill depth acquisition.
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Llamamoto
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Well, the org also has Broberg's ceiling as higher than Klefs, so....
I actually thought Green was pretty solid until he got injured. Regardless, you shouldn't wish injury on any player. That's classless.
If you can get a Klefbom tier defender at 10-ish draft range you take that and run.
Aerchon
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Even more classless to put a spin on me being thankful a very bad player was out of the lineup and making up that I wish him harm. Two very different things.
SupremeTeam16
5-14-6-1
Mcnotloilersfan
I'm here, I'm bored
Again, mods can ask, but my sources on him being known for being lazy are legit, and I don't have a reputation for putting fake things out there.
I thought he was more known for being lazy on puck retrievals which is very evident than actual defensive zone play.
Either way from what I saw from the Condors this year his play in his own end seemed to be improving.
I'm not sure he's 100% on the opening roster next season though like all of the Oilers blogosphere is. If they bring back Green which I wouldn't and or Benning there's not really a clear path for him. It might make sense to make him go down and force his way up or get a chance if an injury happens.
I still don't mind the Green trade at all, obviously no one could have predicted the season closing down but lets look at facts, the Oilers were playing at that point with
Bear - A rookie who was clearly looking gassed and making more mistakes than usual as we got into crunch time.
Klefbom - Injured likely from shoulder problems.
Benning - 3rd pairing RD who has big time concussion problems. One hit from being out for the season.
Nurse - Healthy. Not really ideal at running a PP though, struggles any time Klefbom gets hurt.
Larson - Definitely can't run a PP.
Judging a player off a 1 game sample size is freaking ridiculous too, I could have called McDavid a bust after his first game which was underwhelming.
Actually remember when McDavid's first 3-4 games weren't that great and some people already started to proclaim Eichel as being better? lol.
Bear - A rookie who was clearly looking gassed and making more mistakes than usual as we got into crunch time.
Klefbom - Injured likely from shoulder problems.
Benning - 3rd pairing RD who has big time concussion problems. One hit from being out for the season.
Nurse - Healthy. Not really ideal at running a PP though, struggles any time Klefbom gets hurt.
Larson - Definitely can't run a PP.
Judging a player off a 1 game sample size is freaking ridiculous too, I could have called McDavid a bust after his first game which was underwhelming.
Actually remember when McDavid's first 3-4 games weren't that great and some people already started to proclaim Eichel as being better? lol.
Bring Back Bucky
Registered User
You said “until thankfully he got injured”. How the f*** do you think someone would spin that ?????
That's just his victim complex kicking in.
But he's used to being wrong with hollands moves so far.
Llamamoto
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You said 'thankfully he got injured'. I didn't put a spin on it at all.
Aerchon
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Yes. That comment is reactionary and in context to him getting out of the lineup and making the team better. I would have preferred he was never traded for or just scratched for being terrible as my post indicates/infers.
You know what happens when you assume stuff...
ConnorMcMullet
#12 Colby Cave
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What did your source mean by lazy? A lack of overall commitment or lazy defensive play?
Bryanbryoil
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Bryanbryoil
Pray For Ukraine
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Very poor choice of wording on your part.
Bouchard is a Keith Gretzky pick anyway is he not? I'm willing to give KG some rope, he has proven he deserves it.
Yamamoto looks like another very nice find by him, on top of him drafting OEL, Pastranak, McAvoy, DeBrusk, etc.
By all metrics, Bouchard's first year AHL numbers are better than Ethan Bear's and Ethan Bear has without question made a large impact on the Oilers even if he was starting to crack a bit under such heavy minutes (completely normal for a rookie).
Yamamoto looks like another very nice find by him, on top of him drafting OEL, Pastranak, McAvoy, DeBrusk, etc.
By all metrics, Bouchard's first year AHL numbers are better than Ethan Bear's and Ethan Bear has without question made a large impact on the Oilers even if he was starting to crack a bit under such heavy minutes (completely normal for a rookie).
You can ask anyone too, no one is more hard on a GM that does a shit job than me, but honestly while Holland hasn't been perfect looking at the Oiler needs exactly 12 months ago
1.) Too slow, plodding of a team, desperately lacking skill past McDavid/Draisiatl.
1 Year Later: Haven't properly integrated Athansiou yet, but still this team is now at least on paper comparable to other young/fast/skilled teams like Toronto now. They are reasonably skilled and can roll several players in 3 on 3 OT now instead of having to play two guys to death.
2.) Getting rid of Lucic for someone who contributes badly needed goals.
1 Year Later: I would say more or less he accomplished this task. Neal isn't perfect, everyone and their grandma would've told us this deal was impossible a year ago. 19 goals from Neal, several coming in 1 goal victories for the Oilers definitely gave the Oilers a 6-7 point cushion in the standings they wouldn't have otherwise, that is a huge difference.
3.) Koskinen Problem - Mikko could look great at times but it was clear he needed a solid 1B goalie to sometimes overtake the 1A spot.
1 Year Later: I would say Mike Smith effectively basically addressed this need. Guy struggled in December but then massively has come on since Jan. 1 with a red hot record.
4.) Horrendous Penalty Kill. Was losing the Oilers games.
1 Year Later: One of the best PKs in the league. I'd say job well done.
I'd say more or less he has addressed virtually all of the major Oiler needs in some fashion with some help in the form of Bear, Yamamoto, but still he has done that without trading a 1st round pick or any significant roster player.
Considering Chiarelli had to trade an immediate 1st round pick (Islanders used on Barzal) and also Taylor Hall to get anything moving here, to only really give up two 2nd round picks as the most expensive piece of the puzzle for what is probably a better overall team than the 16-17 team ... I mean how much really can you complain about that.
1.) Too slow, plodding of a team, desperately lacking skill past McDavid/Draisiatl.
1 Year Later: Haven't properly integrated Athansiou yet, but still this team is now at least on paper comparable to other young/fast/skilled teams like Toronto now. They are reasonably skilled and can roll several players in 3 on 3 OT now instead of having to play two guys to death.
2.) Getting rid of Lucic for someone who contributes badly needed goals.
1 Year Later: I would say more or less he accomplished this task. Neal isn't perfect, everyone and their grandma would've told us this deal was impossible a year ago. 19 goals from Neal, several coming in 1 goal victories for the Oilers definitely gave the Oilers a 6-7 point cushion in the standings they wouldn't have otherwise, that is a huge difference.
3.) Koskinen Problem - Mikko could look great at times but it was clear he needed a solid 1B goalie to sometimes overtake the 1A spot.
1 Year Later: I would say Mike Smith effectively basically addressed this need. Guy struggled in December but then massively has come on since Jan. 1 with a red hot record.
4.) Horrendous Penalty Kill. Was losing the Oilers games.
1 Year Later: One of the best PKs in the league. I'd say job well done.
I'd say more or less he has addressed virtually all of the major Oiler needs in some fashion with some help in the form of Bear, Yamamoto, but still he has done that without trading a 1st round pick or any significant roster player.
Considering Chiarelli had to trade an immediate 1st round pick (Islanders used on Barzal) and also Taylor Hall to get anything moving here, to only really give up two 2nd round picks as the most expensive piece of the puzzle for what is probably a better overall team than the 16-17 team ... I mean how much really can you complain about that.
Llamamoto
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Agreed. I also think that a big part of the team's turnaround is Tippet. A great hiring by Holland that got quite a bit of hate at first.
BudBundy
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I’m a bit torn on the idea of the Oilers re-signing Green. On paper, I have little tolerance for old guys that can’t skate anymore. Green seemed more effective than I thought he’d be, but there’s no doubt the wheels aren’t round anymore. That said, I love the idea of having a veteran defenseman around who once put up the gaudy offensive numbers Green did. We’ve got 3 young D men with some untapped offensive potential in Bouchard, Bear, and Jones and it’d be nice to have Green sharing his knowledge with them. If he plays 40 games next year on the bottom pairing as we break in Bouchard that wouldn’t be the worst thing. So long as the contract is appropriately priced, of course.
