When will Bouchard be considered elite?

[Tillain]

Truth. Offensively, he's in the elite tier, and may even headline it beginning next year. When the Oilers are firing on all cylinders and McDavid is bagging 150+ again, Draisaitl 120... Bouchard might break 100 points on D for a couple of years.

I would love if this happened. 80's 2.0.

 

[Boxscore]

Since his London knights days I’ve always kind of compared Bouchard to a modernized Zubov. If he continues to iron out his brain farts in the D zone he will be in consideration for the norris but he’s not there yet. He’s come leaps and bounds in his own zone though and it is time for people to start acknowledging it

Interesting comp. I also see some Brent Burns in him as well. Burns has never been the greatest defender... but his defense was good enough to help him win a Norris due to his high-end gaudy production. If Burns can win a Norris, Bouchard sure can... especially in a season where he scores 102 points and Makar and Hughes put up 85-88.

 

[Jeune Poulet]

When his defense improves.

He has.

His overall game has improved a lot this year.

 

[Tillain]

He has.

His overall game has improved a lot this year.

For sure. When he has the puck I know it's not going to be turned over the vast majority of the time. He's rock solid.

 

[ijuka]

Interesting comp. I also see some Brent Burns in him as well. Burns has never been the greatest defender... but his defense was good enough to help him win a Norris due to his high-end gaudy production. If Burns can win a Norris, Bouchard sure can... especially in a season where he scores 102 points and Makar and Hughes put up 85-88.

Bouchard is far better defensively than Burns has ever dreamt of being.

 

[phrenssoa]

Bouchard is quite good defensively now. He had a rough start to the year defensively, which earned him a bad reputation. But he has improved immensely.

 

[Tillain]

The Oilers basically unleashed him after trading Barrie at the trade deadline last year. His numbers since that trade are insane.

 

[Soundwave]

Bouchard is quite good defensively now. He had a rough start to the year defensively, which earned him a bad reputation. But he has improved immensely.

He's a pretty young player still too people forget that, this is basically only his 3rd actual full season in the league.

 

[syz]

He's certainly come a long way from last summer when some random Canucks fan whose posts mysteriously aren't showing up for me anymore was arguing that he was an AHL player.

Still has his gaffs but when you have the puck that often a forechecker is going to beat you once in a while.

 

[Boxscore]

Bouchard is far better defensively than Burns has ever dreamt of being.

I wouldn't go crazy lol. But I think it's fair to say he's likely a bit better in his own end than Burns and definitely takes less risks. He might not be Shea Weber, Rod Langway, or Scott Stevens but his defending certainly isn't a glaring weakness as some imply it is.

 

[JianYang]

I dunno.... I hear some fans calling him al macinnis

 

[Chet Manley]

Elite requires consistency as we've all seen just good players have a fantastic year. For Bouchard it'll take more games, elimination of some embarrassingly soft plays, and proof that he can do it without Ekholm. Ekholm really provides a comfort zone to open up Bouchard's best and has looked pretty ordinary without him.

 

[Nasti]

Surely you are aware that a single playoff series is a small sample size?

Surely you’re aware that if he struggles, it’ll be just like all the other times the Oilers have faced actual contenders.

 

[Steven Toast]

Surely you’re aware that if he struggles, it’ll be just like all the other times the Oilers have faced actual contenders.

You brushed away Bouchards recent stellar play with "small sample size" and then said "just wait till they play Dallas". So by the logic you use, if Bouch has a bad round 3 we can dismiss it because it will only be a 4-7 game sample.

 

[MessierII]

Elite requires consistency as we've all seen just good players have a fantastic year. For Bouchard it'll take more games, elimination of some embarrassingly soft plays, and proof that he can do it without Ekholm. Ekholm really provides a comfort zone to open up Bouchard's best and has looked pretty ordinary without him.

lol what other D men ever gets held to these standards? How good must Ekholm be to bring a 3rd year player to one of the most dominant playoff D men ever?

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Well he’s no Tyson Barrie.

 

[thekernel]

If he ever ends up playing like an elite defenseman

 

[Norwegianoiler]

Now let's see how many pts he gets playing a real team the Dallas Stars

Last I heard around here is that the Stars are great. On paper.

 

[Bank Shot]

Elite requires consistency as we've all seen just good players have a fantastic year. For Bouchard it'll take more games, elimination of some embarrassingly soft plays, and proof that he can do it without Ekholm. Ekholm really provides a comfort zone to open up Bouchard's best and has looked pretty ordinary without him.

He also played with a 39 year old Keith and Brett Kulak without Ekholm. That's a lot to ask of a 1st and second year defenceman.

Makar has gotten to play with Devon Toews his whole career. Teammates only seem to matter for some players.

 

[Tillain]

Elite requires consistency as we've all seen just good players have a fantastic year. For Bouchard it'll take more games, elimination of some embarrassingly soft plays, and proof that he can do it without Ekholm. Ekholm really provides a comfort zone to open up Bouchard's best and has looked pretty ordinary without him.

Ekholm isn't around when Bouchard is being the best PP QB in the league lol. But being real, they are probably the best D pairing the the league. I'll bring that hot take. Name one better?

 

[UpHere]

I dunno.... I hear some fans calling him al macinnis

just his shot... i'd put it up against MacInnis - maybe not quite as hard though
accurate AF, i'd say better than MacInnis

 

[Chet Manley]

lol what other D men ever gets held to these standards? How good must Ekholm be to bring a 3rd year player to one of the most dominant playoff D men ever?

Hopefully we don't see him tested without Ekholm in the near future. Bouchard has not looked as good when Ekholm was hurt to start the season and when Knob mixed up the pairings in the spring to see what was what.

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

Bouchard is the player everyone thinks Makar is.

Deadliest weapon from the point in the league. And tilts the ice defensively amongst the best to have ever played the game.

 

[MessierII]

Hopefully we don't see him tested without Ekholm in the near future. Bouchard has not looked as good when Ekholm was hurt to start the season and when Knob mixed up the pairings in the spring to see what was what.

Bouchard is doing what he’s done at every level

 

[Soundwave]

If he ever ends up playing like an elite defenseman

He was better than every "elite" player in that Edmonton Vancouver series that just ended and yeah that even includes McDavid. He outplayed him, everyone on that Oilers roster owes him a beer because he's the main reason they won the series.

5 goals in 7 games, 2 game winners, and goal and primary assist on the game winner in a game 7 ... shit there are superstar forwards (like Matthews and Marner and Petterson) that would kill to have his playoff numbers right now.