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Oilers » Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)

Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6) [message #826257 is a reply to message #826256 ]	Wed, 25 October 2023 15:10

RDOilerfan
Messages: 3908
Registered: January 2016

3 Cups

g2k wrote on Wed, 25 October 2023 12:15

RDOilerfan wrote on Wed, 25 October 2023 08:22

I know what's coming but I will say it anyway. Bouchard right now is a train wreck on defense. He was on for I believe 4 goals, it might have even been 5 goals against. I'd say for sure he was the primary culprit. Right now, he's a PP specialist who you have to shelter big time 5 on 5.

I don't know what they do. I thought after his final 20 last year and playoffs, the switch finally turned on defensively. He was never going to be an amazing defender but I thought he figured out how to be adequate. People complained about Barrie's defense, Bouchard is way worse.

I agree about Barrie. Not nearly as scary as Bouchard back there.

I was a bit unsure about the Ekholm trade when it happened. As most would have noticed here, I was huge on Barrie's play and contract last season. I also liked what I witnessed of Reid Schaefer in the 2022 WHL post season and was pretty pleased when the Oilers selected him. But I knew the blueline needed a defensive minded upgrade and really needed to keep an open mind. Then I see the calming influence Ekholm had on our blueline, and my skepticism vanished quite rapidly.

Really hoping Ekholm bounces back to himself after this injury. Hoping he is not infected with Oileritis already.

My concern with Bouchard is the issues that are plaguing him the most aren't things that can be coached out of him or will improve with more experience.

A young dman will make mistakes. So when he makes a bad read or a bad pinch, that should improve with more experience. Bad positioning or stick position you can fix by watching film or coaching. Not competing for pucks is a choice he's making. When he's first into the corner to retrieve a puck, he gets control and then the other player comes in after and comes out with the puck, that's a 1 on 1 where the other guy just out battled him. That's a guy making a choice he was goign to out battle Bouchard. When a Rossi who's 6 inches shorter and 10-15 lbs lighter can skate to the front of the goal and stand there without Bouchard putting a finger on him, and Rossi can do about as easy of a tip as it gets, that's a choice by Bouchard not to do anything to tie up the man.

I don't care what system you are running, there isn't a system being taught who says to it's players, don't you dare tie up a man. You let them stand there and do whatever they want. Bouchard is making a choice not to engage the guy and I don't know if you can coach that out of the guy. I highly doubt the coaches he's had all the way up through minor hockey to now, haven't told him over and over again You have to tie up the man in front. My 10 yr old who's in U11 and plays defense, they coach him to tie up guys in front and not let the other team just stand there. I tell him the same thing and my 10 yr old every single game is tying up sticks, pushing kids and battling the other kid in front of the net every shift. So if my 10 yr old can do it without giving it a second thought, surely to god a professional hockey player can do it. His lack of battle level isn't a one off game thing, it's every game so that says he's choosing not to do it. That's a big problem and I don't know how they fix it.

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Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: OilFans on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:30
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: tardigrade81 on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:33
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: nullterm on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:34
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: HamBlaster on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:45
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Kr55 on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:38
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: NetBOG on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:42
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Adam on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:49
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: smyth260 on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:42
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: oiltec on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:58
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: smyth260 on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:08
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Kr55 on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:11
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: K.McC#24 on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:21
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Kr55 on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:34
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: g2k on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:56
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Kr55 on Wed, 25 October 2023 00:07
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: nullterm on Wed, 25 October 2023 01:11
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Mike on Wed, 25 October 2023 04:51
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: CrusaderPi on Wed, 25 October 2023 08:21
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Kr55 on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:44
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Ragnarok73 on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:46
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Skookum Jim on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:55
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: HamBlaster on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:14
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: g2k on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:15
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Kr55 on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:56
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: NetBOG on Tue, 24 October 2023 21:57
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Kr55 on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:03
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: HamBlaster on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:13
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: g2k on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:15
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: Kr55 on Tue, 24 October 2023 22:16
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: jerekybeef on Wed, 25 October 2023 00:00
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: RDOilerfan on Wed, 25 October 2023 08:22
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: g2k on Wed, 25 October 2023 12:15
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Minnesota (Game #6)	By: RDOilerfan on Wed, 25 October 2023 15:10

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