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 Skookum Jim
Messages: 6158
Registered: March 2006
Location: Burnaby, BC
6 Cups
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| RDOilerfan wrote on Mon, 28 March 2022 12:44 |
| 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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With regards to his skating back to retrieve pucks, instead of "timid", or "lack of urgency", I'd just call it being "dopey" in general.. unaware and/or lack of understanding of in-game situation and surroundings.. instead of having an internal default to hustling back hard to retrieve a puck, so he gets clear, undisputed possession, he constantly goes back half-speed, creating a situation that allows the forechecker to be on him, and then its a 50/50 puck battle, which he loses Every. Time. .. cue fire drill.. and in your net.
He does this in the offensive zone as well.. he'll have an opposition forward floating at the blueline, but instead of acknowledging the danger.. he'll still pinch down from the blue line to engage in a puck battle along the boards.. except he's too weak to ever win it.. puck gets past him.. and its a 2 on 1 back the other way..
I also noticed he falls down a lot, his stance is really narrow, poor balance, gets knocked down super easy, needs to work on his skating/edges.
McDAVID! Oh YEAH Baby!! (Thank you Lord!)
Tic-Tac-Tao!
Keep on Rockin' in the Free World
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