Matt MacInnis said:
I disagree. The fault is solely on the shoulders of Minnesota, because they should have taken into consideration the fact that LeMaire was going to be all over Bouchard and that PMB was not going to be able to do anything to impress the bench boss.
Bouchard should have remained in the QMJHL for at least another season. He needed to be brought along one level at a time. He's still not a bust, and I think he'll still be an effective second line centre, but I feel that there is still significant damage done by this error.
I respect your opinion but I completely disagree with what you said.
Minnesota knew what they were doing. Bouchard, coming into the league, was a one-dimensional player. Minnesota knew that Lemaire was going to try and bring a defensive game to Bouchard. But he wasn't physical enough, so he had to ride the bench to study the games and defense along with trying to bulk up.
Bouchard played in the QMJHL for two years, in those two years he has amassed 235 points. 95 in his rookie season, 140 in his second season. He went from 38 goals, 57 assists to 46 goals and 94 assists. What else could he prove? The QMJHL isn't a defensive oriented league. Minnesota is a defensive team. You can grumble that Bouchard and Minnesota don't make a great team together and I can respect that and agree with that opinion.
BUT I can't agree with the fact that the CHL and the NHL isn't at fault for what happened to Bouchard. The fact of the matter is, he should have been placed in the AHL immediately but couldn't. He didn't have very much to prove in the QMJHL, except for scoring a bunch of goals and assists, which can also be determental for a player because he can get lazy.
So what option did the Wild have? Take the risk and let Bouchard get lazy and not develop? OR place him in the NHL and develop him slowly over a few years.