 RDOilerfan
Messages: 3908
Registered: January 2016
3 Cups
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| Skookum Jim wrote on Mon, 28 March 2022 12:50 |
| RDOilerfan wrote on Mon, 28 March 2022 11:28 |
The decision not to play more righties and make them play their off side last season making a spot for Bouchard is really biting the Oilers right now. He's learning on the fly and it can be ugly some games.
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Problem is that Bouchard doesn't seem to be learning, on the fly or otherwise.. almost looks like he's regressing.. should have been in Bako last year learning from mistakes there.
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He definitely seems to have stalled out and when I heard people say his biggest knock is his sense of urgency, I wasn't 100% sure what they were talking about but now I do. It's one thing to be cool and calm with the puck which is great, it's another thing to just look like you aren't engaged in a game to the point you look timid.
I don't expect every dman to have to run around drilling guys through the boards looking to beat someone up but stand in there. Don't back down. If a guy gives you a shot, give him one back! Leon and McD aren't exactly physical guys and they take more abuse that I think they should put up with but you will see them pop a guy once in a while or give someone shot. I think as a dman you have to be willing to do that because of the nature of the position. I kind of thought that playing with Keith would help Bouchard learn that you don't necessarily have to be a physical guy to be competitive and effective in the guts of the game. Obviously Keith is on the very back end of his career but he's always been a highly competitive guy who generally battles and uses his stick. I am not seeing that rub off on Bouchard that he needs to battle. At 6'3, 194, I wouldn't call Bouchard small but right now he plays very small and seems unwilling to get in there. I hope it comes because he's got a hell of a lot of tools to be a damn good dman.
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