When will Bouchard be considered elite?

[bobbythebrain]

Just based off the series with the Canucks, coughed up 2 in the D Zone that directly led to goals. Has a rare ability to get his terrific shot through traffic somehow. Pretty impressed overall with his play.

So let me get this straight. You based one turnover in an entire series to say he's poor defensively? He didn't have 2 that cost the team, he had one BTW. the others in that game didn't lead to goals.

So you bypassed dozens upon dozens of defensive zone retrievals, suppressed zone entries and clean zone exits against heavy pressure and forechecks to state he is not good defensively based on a couple plays? Did I get that correct?

The whole team played like poo in game 5, including him. It happens. last i checked Makar, Hughes and Doughty had some atrocious plays too

Truth is EVERYONE makes mistakes from time to time. His mistakes were very minimal and his good plays decimated the bad, leading to Oilers winning the round

 

[Pucklington]

So let me get this straight. You based one turnover in an entire series to say he's poor defensively? He didn't have 2 that cost the team, he had one BTW. the others in that game didn't lead to goals.

So you bypassed dozens upon dozens of defensive zone retrievals, suppressed zone entries and clean zone exits against heavy pressure and forechecks to state he is not good defensively based on a couple plays? Did I get that correct?

The whole team played like poo in game 5, including him. It happens. last i checked Makar, Hughes and Doughty had some atrocious plays too

Truth is EVERYONE makes mistakes from time to time. His mistakes were very minimal and his good plays decimated the bad, leading to Oilers winning the round

By his logic Hughes is an AHL tweener.

 

[McJazz]

Bouchard is a top 5 defenseman in the league, no question. His ability to raise his game in important moments is Draisaitl-esque.

 

[Fishy McScales]

Good Edmonton, defend his atrocious defensive play so he can get even more than Nurse even though he is essentially just a 4th forward with the defensive awareness of a chinchilla.

Dallas is going to expose him hard in the next week.

Yeah but my dad is stronger than your dad.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

Carried by Ekholm in his own end. Amazing talent offensively. Will remain a top player until Ekholm holds up. Then we will see.

 

[Buck Naked]

Carried by Ekholm in his own end. Amazing talent offensively. Will remain a top player until Ekholm holds up. Then we will see.

That goes for most players who play with defensive specialists.

Victor Hedman during his Norris winning season saw a huge drop off in his defensive numbers when separated from Strålman or Dotchin who was two most common D partners that season. We see Makar completely fall apart statistically defensively without Toews.

It's a very lazy point to try to make that Bouchard is somehow different from the other elite players in the league.

 

[Seachd]

Not bad for an ECHLer.

So that was Bouchard he was talking about. I couldn’t remember exactly, but I thought it was.

One of the worst takes in human history.

 

[sensfan4lifee]

Yup it's definitely normal for sure. Posters are generally lazy when it comes to research. It takes effort to research, and zero effort to post

A great example would be to see how many ppl have said Drai would be nothing without McDavid
Yet anyone who watches the team, or took any time to put in the effort would see Drai has performed fabulously without him. When McD had his first injury, Hall and Drai didn't miss a beat
When McD took his second injury, the RNH-Drai-Yamamoto was one of the best lines in the NHL for months

The whole Bouchard is a product of McDrai is nonsense. Put him w/ Mack and Rant and you would see similar #'s too

Of course his numbers are a results of playing with those two, just like Hyman and RNH, I'd argue you could put any offensively minded DMAN with those two, and they would put up around the same numbers.

 

[POVERTY]

Of course his numbers are a results of playing with those two, just like Hyman and RNH, I'd argue you could put any offensively minded DMAN with those two, and they would put up around the same numbers.

We literally have proof in Tyson Barrie that this is not the case

 

[raswilliam]

Hopefully AFTER he signs a cheap extension with Oilers.

5x5 him Holland!!

11x8

 

[Neil Racki]

He’s a better John Carlson, and Carlson was pretty damn good.

dude .. hes 24 and just potted his first 80+ pt season playing on the Oilers ..

I hate loathe DESPISE how hockey fans have this addiction to placing current players short careers ahead of the totality of an older players career.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Afrer watching the playoffs 2 rounds.

Does he make mistakes? Yes
Does he make some really bad ones? Also yes.

Does he make some incredible plays and is holding his own with Ekholm most of the time. Also yes.

5 goals 15 assists for 20 points. He scored some game clinching goals for Edmonton this last series. He is going to get paid.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

What are his defensive stats this year? Care educate us?

Dude everything isn't stat based. The post you quoted is basically bang on.

Bouchard is an average skater, average defensively, slightly below average at processing things quickly in his own zone and he's elite offensively.

edit- His best trait is getting pucks on net through traffic from the blueline

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Bouchards the only D in the league who plays with elite players

It's true, but would Nuge/Hyman have had such inflated stats with other elite players? I'm not so sure

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

He's going to get over 9, which is crazy but great timing for him.

 

[Regal]

He's going to get over 9, which is crazy but great timing for him.

He still has one more year at 3.9. If he continues to put up the numbers he has this playoffs and has over 90 next year, he’s probably getting double digits.

 

[Regal]

We literally have proof in Tyson Barrie that this is not the case

Barrie led defensemen in scoring in the Covid year. He didn’t score the same, but we did see how numbers can improve with those guys.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Dude everything isn't stat based. The post you quoted is basically bang on.

Bouchard is an average skater, average defensively, slightly below average at processing things quickly in his own zone and he's elite offensively.

edit- His best trait is getting pucks on net through traffic from the blueline

Because your “objective” eye test should hold more weight than stats?

You’d be the first to bring up stats if they painted him in a negative light

 

[HighAndTight]

Took like 5 years for Draisaitl to get any credit for not being a product of McDavid, so probably around that much time.

Omfg this narrative is damn tired. No one with a brain thinks Drai is only a product of McDavid but on the flip side people need to stop pretending that playing on the same team, let alone same line, as McDavid doesn't have tangible benefits that almost no other player receives.

 

[phrenssoa]

Omfg this narrative is damn tired. No one with a brain thinks Drai is only a product of McDavid but on the flip side people need to stop pretending that playing on the same team, let alone same line, as McDavid doesn't have tangible benefits that almost no other player receives.

To be fair the narrative you are spreading is exaggerated as well. Draisaitl and McDavid help each other out on the power play for sure, but I’m not convinced Draisaitl’s even strength production would be any worse without McDavid (it might actually improve). Draisaitl has already proven that he is capable of elite production with or without McDavid (see the year he won the Art Ross/Hart/Lindsay), and has looked better on most nights in these playoffs.

FYI, Draisaitl and McDavid usually play on different lines at even strength.

 

[Czechboy]

Barrie led defensemen in scoring in the Covid year. He didn’t score the same, but we did see how numbers can improve with those guys.

As long as we agree that Barrie didn't come close to bouchs number as an Oiler. The second bouch replaced Barrie the oilers improved. And I liked Barrie but he never came close to 80 points or .ppg playoff status. Barrie got 6 points in 20 playoff games with the oilers over 2 seasons. Bouch is already at 20 after 12 or 13 games.

 

[Hockeyholic]

If he replicates this type of performance. And improves defensively. Maybe he can reach "great" status.

Guys like Makar, Fox, Hughes, & Josi have been doing it longer. I don't see Bouchard ever being as good as these guys at their best.

 

[TheNumber4]

Bouchard proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s better than Hughes. So yeh he’s elite.

 

[nturn06]

Omfg this narrative is damn tired. No one with a brain thinks Drai is only a product of McDavid but on the flip side people need to stop pretending that playing on the same team, let alone same line, as McDavid doesn't have tangible benefits that almost no other player receives.

Are you implying that if he was not on the same team as McD, Drai would become the go to guy, and get better quality ice time ?

 

[Dirty Dan]

As long as we agree that Barrie didn't come close to bouchs number as an Oiler. The second bouch replaced Barrie the oilers improved. And I liked Barrie but he never came close to 80 points or .ppg playoff status. Barrie got 6 points in 20 playoff games with the oilers over 2 seasons. Bouch is already at 20 after 12 or 13 games.

Barrie is an ok PP qb. But the second Avs called up Makar and the Oilers got Bouchard, their PPs became elite