Oilers Development Camp

[ChokeOnOil]

Thanks for this. Just an FYI Kailer can play AHL this year. He has 4 years major junior and will be 20 before January 1st. Still agree with your points on the rule though.

I had no idea! That's awesome news. Hopefully, they send him there if he doesn't have an incredible "force your hand" type showing in camp. Thanks for the info!

 

[CycloneSweep]

Hey guys- was going to post this tomorrow but got caught up with work and the SO! Hopefully, I'm not just repeating what's been said in the thread so far as I haven't had a chance to look through it yet but here's a bit of a rundown of what I saw live yesterday. My focus was targetted more specifically on the bigger names- so I'll elaborate on them but there were a few guys that caught my eye.

Yamamoto - Kailer, along with I suspect everyone on the ice, knew he was too good to play at this level. His skating is incredible in the same way Nuge's is- they are like these shifty natural runningbacks that happened to play hockey instead. It makes sense since Yama is smaller and therefore needs to be cerebral but just wow. I don't mean to overstate or overhype but this guy is a template in terms of what a young small player should look at in order to succeed. He seems so, so intelligent in terms of knowing what he's good at and using it effectively. His passing, his vision- the craftiness. I'm still not sure if I want to see him in the NHL this early- I think his game could use a year of AHL development but I'm also incredibly worried about sending him back to Juniors. The guy is just too good. I know we hear that a lot for this caliber of player but I truly believe it's even more concerning for Kailer because the areas he needs to work on simply won't be challenged in Juniors due to how exceptional he is. It's one thing to say that about a defensive defenseman, for example, who would still be tested with the speed of junior league forwards. With Kailer, though, they simply can't be physical enough to test with him for fear of looking silly- and you saw that even today. Guys see him and noticeably back off. On the Bouchard one-timer for example- a bit of a broken play but at this level, he's given the respect we often see given to McDavid in the majors. The puck battles he wins effortlessly too often with his quick feet and stick. Guys can't keep up with him in the corners so muscling him off the puck doesn't happen often enough. He's just not tested here. I really like this player- I think we have another Eberle on our hands with a bit more complete but he's such an obvious case for lowering the age requirement of the AHL.

Bouchard - He's as advertised. Offensively always prepared. I saw some comparisons brought up by Cloned in terms of Zubov- I think this is apt. Very nice outlet pass. He's got a very quick shot as was on display on his goal. There were some questions about his compete level prior to the draft and the response here was that those questions may have resulted from his outrageous icetime. I'm not so sure. I think the guy is just an efficient player and that comes off as lackadaisical defensively. His speed isn't amazing but his backwards footwork actually seemed quite nice. Keep in mind it's very early, and this is another "throw it at the wall, see what sticks" comparison but I saw a bit of Lubomir Visnovsky there. For those who remember Lubomir was very good during his time here at elevating the guys up front while he was on the ice. We would be very lucky to have someone like that on the ice with some of our big club horses (McDavid, Drai, Nuge, etc.)

Jones - Not sure what's going on with Caleb currently. Came in expecting big things from him. He wasn't awful, but he wasn't great. His decision making seems to be a step behind and he doesn't seem as sure in every choice he's making as I've seen him years previous. I know he had a bit of a tough year with the Condors and luckily he's still young but the growth in his body (this guy is at least 6'2'' now and I have no idea how) has sadly not matched the growth in his game the past year. Regardless I think we got a top 2 rounds talent with him and the years before this one was projecting very well so we'll see what he can do with some more time down with the Condors. Really hoping for a lot out of him if I'm honest.

These next few guys caught my eye randomly or in Skinner's case, I think he caught my eye??? Haha!

Skinner - Not going to ever pretend to be able to tell you how good goalies are but he solid from what I can tell. He looked fairly calm and steady but that's about all I got. We'll see!

McLeod - I didn't check the scouting report much on this guy- is he supposed to be this fast? The guy flies. I checked who it was the first few times he flew down the ice but anytime I saw someone blazing down after that I just assumed it was him. Has some impressive vision and puck skills as well. Actually surprised after looking at his numbers last year that we got him in the second- he trumps guys like Faudy, Noel, Dellandrea in terms of production. Obviously, this isn't the basis of scouting but he looks very good as well so again- surprised we got him. I'll absolutely take it though. Seems like a player.

Benson - Pretty good. This may sound harsh, ruin my credibility, be incredibly reactionary... but I would not take Benson over Maksimov. More on that later.

Wells - Sorry kid... brutal team to go against. Could have saved at least the backhander that went under his arm, though.

Alright at this point I'm going to need any of you negative nancies that don't like over hyping a prospect or found ByranBryoil's obsession with Schremp annoying to stop reading because I think I've found my Schremp. Take this with about a bucket of salt as aside from the games against the rival rookies last year I've never seen him play but I gotta be honest...

I ****ing love Kirill Maksimov - First off, I don't know who chose the teams or what the thought process was but he got absolutely shafted. Nearly every prospect at his level with his offensive ability was on the other team or else he would have looked even more impressive. I sincerely think If you showed GMs the game he played yesterday, against this competition, redoing the draft this kid would go top 2 rounds easily. He had a good year with the IceDogs as their leading PPG player (had one less point in 6 fewer games than Thomas who was nearly a first rounder). He should have been better in the playoffs but I really think this is the type of player that does better with creative players that can put him in good positions. Not for one second am I going to say that he will have similar production to this guy but he reminds me A LOT of Alexander Semin. There was the talk of Semin at one point having a comparable shot to Ovechkin, some argued his wrister was better stationary whereas Ovie could let his go better on the fly. Regardless- Maksimov has a ****ing wrister for days, boys. For days. This guy can actually let it rip. That was his MO last year but this year he's added some elements to his game that let it stand out even more, (his skating seems improved)- or maybe it's because I'm seeing it live but WOW. Again, this is insane by me, no argument, but just imagining this kid ripping absolute BBs at the net on a line with McDavid made me lose it. Honestly, if we didn't care about his development, I would argue to just bring him up right now as a powerplay specialist. As I said though you're gonna need a bucket of salt with this last assessment as I really love that player.

Hopefully, I didn't just repeat what others have said. I really haven't been this excited about a group of prospects since the decade of darkness when that was really all we had. These guys seem good and we don't have to rush and ruin any of them, thankfully.

Good right up.

I like Benson more than Maksimov myself, simply because he plays a more complete game. Benson will never be a star player in the league. But he is a major character guy, is hard to play against and is super intelligent. He makes his good linemates better but will never carry a line.

Benson is the kind of guy to make the constant good quiet plays and never makes you scratch your head

 

[ChokeOnOil]

Good right up.

I like Benson more than Maksimov myself, simply because he plays a more complete game. Benson will never be a star player in the league. But he is a major character guy, is hard to play against and is super intelligent. He makes his good linemates better but will never carry a line.

Benson is the kind of guy to make the constant good quiet plays and never makes you scratch your head

I think you're probably right but I have this fetish for players with incredible shots since our days of looking around the entire league for someone to play with Hemsky. The year with Petr Sykora that Ales had made it obvious how lethal a good passer/ playmaker is in combination with a lethal shot. I just really think to arm McDavid, Nuge or Leon with someone like that will pay off in dividends.

 

[McFlyingV]

Hey guys- was going to post this tomorrow but got caught up with work and the SO! Hopefully, I'm not just repeating what's been said in the thread so far as I haven't had a chance to look through it yet but here's a bit of a rundown of what I saw live yesterday. My focus was targetted more specifically on the bigger names- so I'll elaborate on them but there were a few guys that caught my eye.

Yamamoto - Kailer, along with I suspect everyone on the ice, knew he was too good to play at this level. His skating is incredible in the same way Nuge's is- they are like these shifty natural runningbacks that happened to play hockey instead. It makes sense since Yama is smaller and therefore needs to be cerebral but just wow. I don't mean to overstate or overhype but this guy is a template in terms of what a young small player should look at in order to succeed. He seems so, so intelligent in terms of knowing what he's good at and using it effectively. His passing, his vision- the craftiness. I'm still not sure if I want to see him in the NHL this early- I think his game could use a year of AHL development but I'm also incredibly worried about sending him back to Juniors. The guy is just too good. I know we hear that a lot for this caliber of player but I truly believe it's even more concerning for Kailer because the areas he needs to work on simply won't be challenged in Juniors due to how exceptional he is. It's one thing to say that about a defensive defenseman, for example, who would still be tested with the speed of junior league forwards. With Kailer, though, they simply can't be physical enough to test with him for fear of looking silly- and you saw that even today. Guys see him and noticeably back off. On the Bouchard one-timer for example- a bit of a broken play but at this level, he's given the respect we often see given to McDavid in the majors. The puck battles he wins effortlessly too often with his quick feet and stick. Guys can't keep up with him in the corners so muscling him off the puck doesn't happen often enough. He's just not tested here. I really like this player- I think we have another Eberle on our hands with a bit more complete but he's such an obvious case for lowering the age requirement of the AHL.

Bouchard - He's as advertised. Offensively always prepared. I saw some comparisons brought up by Cloned in terms of Zubov- I think this is apt. Very nice outlet pass. He's got a very quick shot as was on display on his goal. There were some questions about his compete level prior to the draft and the response here was that those questions may have resulted from his outrageous icetime. I'm not so sure. I think the guy is just an efficient player and that comes off as lackadaisical defensively. His speed isn't amazing but his backwards footwork actually seemed quite nice. Keep in mind it's very early, and this is another "throw it at the wall, see what sticks" comparison but I saw a bit of Lubomir Visnovsky there. For those who remember Lubomir was very good during his time here at elevating the guys up front while he was on the ice. We would be very lucky to have someone like that on the ice with some of our big club horses (McDavid, Drai, Nuge, etc.)

Jones - Not sure what's going on with Caleb currently. Came in expecting big things from him. He wasn't awful, but he wasn't great. His decision making seems to be a step behind and he doesn't seem as sure in every choice he's making as I've seen him years previous. I know he had a bit of a tough year with the Condors and luckily he's still young but the growth in his body (this guy is at least 6'2'' now and I have no idea how) has sadly not matched the growth in his game the past year. Regardless I think we got a top 2 rounds talent with him and the years before this one was projecting very well so we'll see what he can do with some more time down with the Condors. Really hoping for a lot out of him if I'm honest.

These next few guys caught my eye randomly or in Skinner's case, I think he caught my eye??? Haha!

Skinner - Not going to ever pretend to be able to tell you how good goalies are but he solid from what I can tell. He looked fairly calm and steady but that's about all I got. We'll see!

McLeod - I didn't check the scouting report much on this guy- is he supposed to be this fast? The guy flies. I checked who it was the first few times he flew down the ice but anytime I saw someone blazing down after that I just assumed it was him. Has some impressive vision and puck skills as well. Actually surprised after looking at his numbers last year that we got him in the second- he trumps guys like Faudy, Noel, Dellandrea in terms of production. Obviously, this isn't the basis of scouting but he looks very good as well so again- surprised we got him. I'll absolutely take it though. Seems like a player.

Benson - Pretty good. This may sound harsh, ruin my credibility, be incredibly reactionary... but I would not take Benson over Maksimov. More on that later.

Wells - Sorry kid... brutal team to go against. Could have saved at least the backhander that went under his arm, though.

Alright at this point I'm going to need any of you negative nancies that don't like over hyping a prospect or found ByranBryoil's obsession with Schremp annoying to stop reading because I think I've found my Schremp. Take this with about a bucket of salt as aside from the games against the rival rookies last year I've never seen him play but I gotta be honest...

I ****ing love Kirill Maksimov - First off, I don't know who chose the teams or what the thought process was but he got absolutely shafted. Nearly every prospect at his level with his offensive ability was on the other team or else he would have looked even more impressive. I sincerely think If you showed GMs the game he played yesterday, against this competition, redoing the draft this kid would go top 2 rounds easily. He had a good year with the IceDogs as their leading PPG player (had one less point in 6 fewer games than Thomas who was nearly a first rounder). He should have been better in the playoffs but I really think this is the type of player that does better with creative players that can put him in good positions. Not for one second am I going to say that he will have similar production to this guy but he reminds me A LOT of Alexander Semin. There was the talk of Semin at one point having a comparable shot to Ovechkin, some argued his wrister was better stationary whereas Ovie could let his go better on the fly. Regardless- Maksimov has a ****ing wrister for days, boys. For days. This guy can actually let it rip. That was his MO last year but this year he's added some elements to his game that let it stand out even more, (his skating seems improved)- or maybe it's because I'm seeing it live but WOW. Again, this is insane by me, no argument, but just imagining this kid ripping absolute BBs at the net on a line with McDavid made me lose it. Honestly, if we didn't care about his development, I would argue to just bring him up right now as a powerplay specialist. As I said though you're gonna need a bucket of salt with this last assessment as I really love that player.

Hopefully, I didn't just repeat what others have said. I really haven't been this excited about a group of prospects since the decade of darkness when that was really all we had. These guys seem good and we don't have to rush and ruin any of them, thankfully.

Appreciate the write up. Yamamoto makes the team this year imo, I think he'll be ready. He was borderline ready last year, but just couldn't cash on a few of his scoring chances and lost confidence.

Jones we will have to wait and see on. His reads out there are sometimes quite poor, but he has good skating and puck moving. Needs to improve his decision making and shot if he wants to make it to the next level. Liked his game in training camp last year, but needs to refine his game a bunch still. Lots of time for him though and being on the younger end of his draft year definitely paid off with an extra 2 inches of growth after being drafted.

Skinner is solid. He does play a calm and poised game and covers a lot of net. Has very solid athleticism as well. I'm excited to see how he does in pro hockey this year. Not as high on Wells personally, albeit I think he could be an NHL backup someday potentially. What'd you think of Rodrigue? Maksimov scored 2 on him, but that kids technique and explosiveness in his crease is pretty damn impressive.

McLeod is absolutely supposed to be that fast haha. Kid was one of the best skaters in this draft, and just slightly worse than his brother who went 10th OA 2 years ago to New Jersey, and his brother was the best skater in that draft. Not surprised Benson didn't wow you. His skating still needs some work, but you really need to watch him more than once to get an appreciation for his game. His hockey IQ, vision, and ability to set up cross ice passes is phenomenal. He also has a wide balanced stride so he's hard to knock off pucks and it helps him in 50/50 puck battles. He'll be fun to track the next 2 seasons if he stays healthy and gets a few summers to work on strength and skating.

No surprise from me that Maksimov impressed you. His wrister and one-timer are both phenomenal. His skating has improved no doubt. His top speed isn't elite, but he can move and he has good lateral movement as well. I'm not sure if he got to show it off, but he has a nice set of hands on the breakaway/shootout. He could put up 40-50G and 100P next season in the OHL, but I suspect he will miss games due to the WJC with Russia.

Only thing I don't really agree on was your subsequent post on Safin. His skating is very good for a guy his size and he can fly and I found it odd that skating was the area of weakness you saw. I've never seen him look like anything other than a very good skater and I've never heard anyone criticize his skating. Perhaps its his size and lankiness that made his skating look awkward to you. His raw tools of size, skating, shot, and hands are tantalizing, but he has a lot of work to do. He can be lazy at times and unengaged in the play, but I'm hoping a trade to a better team next season helps him with that. He also really needs to fill out that frame and really just grow into his body. He's a long-term project, but a classic boom/bust prospect who has a ton of potential.

 

[McFlash97]

Good right up.

I like Benson more than Maksimov myself, simply because he plays a more complete game. Benson will never be a star player in the league. But he is a major character guy, is hard to play against and is super intelligent. He makes his good linemates better but will never carry a line.

Benson is the kind of guy to make the constant good quiet plays and never makes you scratch your head

He wouldn't need too. Most of the Time he would be on the IR with some injury.

 

[VainGretzky]

Yamamoto is so skilled , he will be a later 1st round steal like Pastrnak

 

[gordonhught]

Bouchard looked good on offense.

He was also looking confused on the Makisimov goal from Benson. And got turnstiled by Bensen as well. High event in the highlights. haha.

Desharnais stood out for the most awkward skating award. .

Yamamoto looks crafty.

Call me skeptical, but does Bouchard = Bonsignore?

 

[McFlyingV]

Call me skeptical, but does Bouchard = Bonsignore?

Well the main difference is Bonsignore had little to no hockey sense despite being physically talented. The exact opposite for Bouchard who gets by much more on his hockey sense than pure athleticism or talents. Yes, he has a good shot and crisp accurate passing, but its his ability to see the ice and read the play, along with the ability to adapt the pass or shot he's about to take under pressure that make him so good.

So no, he's nothing like him.

 

[Ragss]

In the shift by shift video posted in the Bouchard thread, he sure looked passive and ineffectual in his own zone until the puck came to him.

 

[guymez]

Hey guys- was going to post this tomorrow but got caught up with work and the SO! Hopefully, I'm not just repeating what's been said in the thread so far as I haven't had a chance to look through it yet but here's a bit of a rundown of what I saw live yesterday. My focus was targetted more specifically on the bigger names- so I'll elaborate on them but there were a few guys that caught my eye.

Yamamoto - Kailer, along with I suspect everyone on the ice, knew he was too good to play at this level. His skating is incredible in the same way Nuge's is- they are like these shifty natural runningbacks that happened to play hockey instead. It makes sense since Yama is smaller and therefore needs to be cerebral but just wow. I don't mean to overstate or overhype but this guy is a template in terms of what a young small player should look at in order to succeed. He seems so, so intelligent in terms of knowing what he's good at and using it effectively. His passing, his vision- the craftiness. I'm still not sure if I want to see him in the NHL this early- I think his game could use a year of AHL development but I'm also incredibly worried about sending him back to Juniors. The guy is just too good. I know we hear that a lot for this caliber of player but I truly believe it's even more concerning for Kailer because the areas he needs to work on simply won't be challenged in Juniors due to how exceptional he is. It's one thing to say that about a defensive defenseman, for example, who would still be tested with the speed of junior league forwards. With Kailer, though, they simply can't be physical enough to test with him for fear of looking silly- and you saw that even today. Guys see him and noticeably back off. On the Bouchard one-timer for example- a bit of a broken play but at this level, he's given the respect we often see given to McDavid in the majors. The puck battles he wins effortlessly too often with his quick feet and stick. Guys can't keep up with him in the corners so muscling him off the puck doesn't happen often enough. He's just not tested here. I really like this player- I think we have another Eberle on our hands with a bit more complete but he's such an obvious case for lowering the age requirement of the AHL.

Bouchard - He's as advertised. Offensively always prepared. I saw some comparisons brought up by Cloned in terms of Zubov- I think this is apt. Very nice outlet pass. He's got a very quick shot as was on display on his goal. There were some questions about his compete level prior to the draft and the response here was that those questions may have resulted from his outrageous icetime. I'm not so sure. I think the guy is just an efficient player and that comes off as lackadaisical defensively. His speed isn't amazing but his backwards footwork actually seemed quite nice. Keep in mind it's very early, and this is another "throw it at the wall, see what sticks" comparison but I saw a bit of Lubomir Visnovsky there. For those who remember Lubomir was very good during his time here at elevating the guys up front while he was on the ice. We would be very lucky to have someone like that on the ice with some of our big club horses (McDavid, Drai, Nuge, etc.)

Jones - Not sure what's going on with Caleb currently. Came in expecting big things from him. He wasn't awful, but he wasn't great. His decision making seems to be a step behind and he doesn't seem as sure in every choice he's making as I've seen him years previous. I know he had a bit of a tough year with the Condors and luckily he's still young but the growth in his body (this guy is at least 6'2'' now and I have no idea how) has sadly not matched the growth in his game the past year. Regardless I think we got a top 2 rounds talent with him and the years before this one was projecting very well so we'll see what he can do with some more time down with the Condors. Really hoping for a lot out of him if I'm honest.

These next few guys caught my eye randomly or in Skinner's case, I think he caught my eye??? Haha!

Skinner - Not going to ever pretend to be able to tell you how good goalies are but he solid from what I can tell. He looked fairly calm and steady but that's about all I got. We'll see!

McLeod - I didn't check the scouting report much on this guy- is he supposed to be this fast? The guy flies. I checked who it was the first few times he flew down the ice but anytime I saw someone blazing down after that I just assumed it was him. Has some impressive vision and puck skills as well. Actually surprised after looking at his numbers last year that we got him in the second- he trumps guys like Faudy, Noel, Dellandrea in terms of production. Obviously, this isn't the basis of scouting but he looks very good as well so again- surprised we got him. I'll absolutely take it though. Seems like a player.

Benson - Pretty good. This may sound harsh, ruin my credibility, be incredibly reactionary... but I would not take Benson over Maksimov. More on that later.

Wells - Sorry kid... brutal team to go against. Could have saved at least the backhander that went under his arm, though.

Alright at this point I'm going to need any of you negative nancies that don't like over hyping a prospect or found ByranBryoil's obsession with Schremp annoying to stop reading because I think I've found my Schremp. Take this with about a bucket of salt as aside from the games against the rival rookies last year I've never seen him play but I gotta be honest...

I ****ing love Kirill Maksimov - First off, I don't know who chose the teams or what the thought process was but he got absolutely shafted. Nearly every prospect at his level with his offensive ability was on the other team or else he would have looked even more impressive. I sincerely think If you showed GMs the game he played yesterday, against this competition, redoing the draft this kid would go top 2 rounds easily. He had a good year with the IceDogs as their leading PPG player (had one less point in 6 fewer games than Thomas who was nearly a first rounder). He should have been better in the playoffs but I really think this is the type of player that does better with creative players that can put him in good positions. Not for one second am I going to say that he will have similar production to this guy but he reminds me A LOT of Alexander Semin. There was the talk of Semin at one point having a comparable shot to Ovechkin, some argued his wrister was better stationary whereas Ovie could let his go better on the fly. Regardless- Maksimov has a ****ing wrister for days, boys. For days. This guy can actually let it rip. That was his MO last year but this year he's added some elements to his game that let it stand out even more, (his skating seems improved)- or maybe it's because I'm seeing it live but WOW. Again, this is insane by me, no argument, but just imagining this kid ripping absolute BBs at the net on a line with McDavid made me lose it. Honestly, if we didn't care about his development, I would argue to just bring him up right now as a powerplay specialist. As I said though you're gonna need a bucket of salt with this last assessment as I really love that player.

Hopefully, I didn't just repeat what others have said. I really haven't been this excited about a group of prospects since the decade of darkness when that was really all we had. These guys seem good and we don't have to rush and ruin any of them, thankfully.

Wow...really appreciate the lengthy report!

Can I ask why you found Benson so underwhelming?

 

[CycloneSweep]

He wouldn't need too. Most of the Time he would be on the IR with some injury.

.....sigh

 

[nabob]

I had no idea! That's awesome news. Hopefully, they send him there if he doesn't have an incredible "force your hand" type showing in camp. Thanks for the info!

I’m hoping that if he is the best option to play RW in the top 6 that he stays in the NHL. Him dominating in the AHL if Rattie or Jesse aren’t producing really doesn’t help any.

 

[Bank Shot]

In the shift by shift video posted in the Bouchard thread, he sure looked passive and ineffectual in his own zone until the puck came to him.

I think that's a fair statement and its why the Oilers were able to get him rather than him going top 5.

I believe those are deficiencies that can be fixed but adding another wobbly defensive player to an NHL squad that already has poor defensive results is playing with fire IMO.

 

[CycloneSweep]

In the shift by shift video posted in the Bouchard thread, he sure looked passive and ineffectual in his own zone until the puck came to him.

A lot of defense is physicality and players don't go all out like that in these rookie games.

 

[voxel]

Yamamoto is so skilled , he will be a later 1st round steal like Pastrnak

He's super skilled but also 5'8" - I just hope people's expectations are in line. I'm hoping for Marchand or Tyler Johnson or Gallagher. He won't be Patrick Kane and hopefully better than Ennis/Schroeder

 

[voxel]

I hope nobody projects physicality onto Bouchard. He won't be a rough and tough defender like Nurse... he'll play more like Justin Schultz and that's fine with me.

 

[Digger12]

He's super skilled but also 5'8" - I just hope people's expectations are in line. I'm hoping for Marchand or Tyler Johnson or Gallagher. He won't be Patrick Kane and hopefully better than Ennis/Schroeder

Fair.

I don't know what it is, but I'm still unsure about how much success Yamamoto will have at the NHL level. I hope he exceeds my expectations.

 

[guymez]

Fair.

I don't know what it is, but I'm still unsure about how much success Yamamoto will have at the NHL level. I hope he exceeds my expectations.

I agree with this.
He is just so small at 5'8" and 156 lbs...I think we need to be cautious about his NHL future.

 

[Hockey Nightmare]

What was the box score in the game last night. For some reason that info is nowhere.

 

[Samus44]

nvm

 

[Samus44]

Good right up.

I like Benson more than Maksimov myself, simply because he plays a more complete game. Benson will never be a star player in the league. But he is a major character guy, is hard to play against and is super intelligent. He makes his good linemates better but will never carry a line.

Benson is the kind of guy to make the constant good quiet plays and never makes you scratch your head

That pass to Maksimov was excellent and better than the finish IMO. I see Benson as hopefully being a Pisani type with a bit more offensive creativity but a lesser shot.

 

[Samus44]

I hope nobody projects physicality onto Bouchard. He won't be a rough and tough defender like Nurse... he'll play more like Justin Schultz and that's fine with me.

I don't think that's a good comparison at all tbh. Schultz is a rusher who really doesn't have a great first pass and is prone to making mistakes under pressure, the opposite of Bouchard. Schultz want's to speed things up, Bouchard want's to slow things down. Bouchard also has a rep for being able to play tough at times but the issue is it's too infrequent (might have something to do with minutes). You're right that he likely won't be a bruiser but he's going to play a completely different game than Schultz.

 

[Satire]

I think that's a fair statement and its why the Oilers were able to get him rather than him going top 5.

I believe those are deficiencies that can be fixed but adding another wobbly defensive player to an NHL squad that already has poor defensive results is playing with fire IMO.

I don't know - I would say we have a couple players that might fit with him. I could see Nurse growing into that role. Larsson would be great with a player like that - too bad that combo likely doesn't fly.

 

[Aerchon]

I don't know - I would say we have a couple players that might fit with him. I could see Nurse growing into that role. Larsson would be great with a player like that - too bad that combo likely doesn't fly.

Nurse and Bouchard optimistically project to be an amazing top pairing. Very complimentary.

 

[rickysusedsht]

Nurse and Bouchard optimistically project to be an amazing top pairing. Very complimentary.

Agreed i wouldnt part with nurse. I think he will continioue to devolope into a top D . Now that we have a proven D coach in Trent he will move along fairly fast now. Those two could for sure be our 1, 2 punch we need. Then klef and Lars 3,4 and thats a great looking D core physical and flashy