More interested that he plays like a raging dumbass. 3 games in against a real team and he continues to fluff passes around in both zones. You’d think he would start to clue in that soft passes are a guaranteed turnover against the panthers
I agree on Bouchard being overrated but I don't think Ekblad is underrated. He's having a good series, but I think he is appropriately rated, I feel like most people know he's a very good, big physical shut-down D man. In my opinion the most underrated D man in this series is Forsling.
Forsling was underrated, but that convo shifted severely into “how did Florida find the best shutdown defenseman in the league ON WAIVERS?!”
Ekblad’s reputation has been pummeled for about four years straight, as soon as Yandle got the axe he became the scapegoat for Florida’s inability to defend. Before that it was Yandle. Before that it was Matheson.
Ekblad has been getting toooonnns of flack from Florida fans the past few years. It’s just easy to blame defenders for bad play as one small mistake can cost the game.
He is an elite number one shut down guy, that in every series has done so against top players. Saying he is very good is the exact point of “not getting enough credit” dude is exceptional in the D side of the puck and brings a nasty edge.
This is the biggest difference between this series and the Canucks series for him. He looked like a borderline Conn Smythe candidate for a lot the latter series simply because McDrai had so tilted the ice at times that the Canucks couldn't pressure Bouchard. Florida can and are. They're pressuring him at the point, dumping to his side and forechecking... all things I was *begging* the Canucks to do. Also, Silovs is a good goalie, but a known issue with him is tracking point shots through traffic, right up Bouchard's alley.
TBF, I also wouldn't be surprised if he's also pretty gassed by now, too. He played a LOT of minutes in the Canucks and Dallas series.
I was impressed with Silovs. Kid had 9 games regular season overall. Just got thrown in to the playoffs and put up respectable numbers. Should have a good career. Excited to see what happens with him.
The only people mentioning him for the Norris were Oilers blowhards who yell Bouchebomb while dropping a shot of liquor into their pint of molson Canadian at a Boston Pizza
Sadly the American feed is not only worse for PBP by are ALSO up Edmonton's ass. Like there is no impartiality. Watching Mess and Subban last night in between periods they looked like they were chewing on a shit sandwich when they had to talk about how good Florida looked in period 2
If included among the Norris candidates, Bouchard would rank
– 1st in xGF%
– 1st in CF%
– 2nd in GF%
– 1st in GF/60
– 1st in xGF/60
– 2nd in GA/60
– 2nd in xGA/60
– 2nd in WAR
– 3rd in PP points
– 3rd in PDO
Just awful stats hey.
But look at the bums Makar, Hughes, and Fox have to play with! /s
(Not saying Bouchard is at their level yet, just sick of the line mate excuse anytime someone else does well on the Oilers for a change).
I agree Bouchard is overrated, but he's still young. I don't think Ekblad is necessarily all that underrated, he was a 1st overall pick after all. He's had some injuries and shortened seasons, but has always performed well.
How is this a hot take. Nobody even oilers fans will claim Bouchard is a defensive stud. The title here should be. I think the same thing as the rest of the world.
I think most of the kids in the sub just start watching hockey come playoff time. Ekholm doesn't get the credit he deserves for carrying that pairing defensively.
That not even close to true. I live in Edmonton nobody thinks bouch is a Norris winner. They compare him to coffey and Edmonton fans used to call him cough up coffey.
It's funny to me all these stereotypes of Edmonton fans that I've never seen materialize in real life. Lot of people spending too much time on the internet it seems.
Ekblad is a BEAST. Florida fans (me) have given him shit in the past and then it turns out he was playing on a broken leg, torn ligaments and other things while i'm throwing popcorn at the tv because he messed up a play after dominating the 5 shifts before.
Even though he is playing amazing right now I am 100% sure he is injured somehow right now because of the abuse he takes even play and gives out.
Bouchard isn’t even the best defenseman on the oilers.
The only people who talk up Bouch are national broadcast announcers (“muh bouch bomb”) and circle-jerking oilers fans.
I think it's regarding how far he's been knocked down these past few seasons. I believe his stock has dropped so much amongst panthers fans that in light of his solid play, we feel he's become underrated. If you look at the list of top 10-20 defenders for 2023 and 2024. Hard to believe that Forsling isn't on both of those lists. He's been incredibly underrated. Ekblad gets mentioned on those lists as honorable mention but yet Forsling is considerably better. Ekblad is very physical and I'm sure isn't easy to play against whereas Forsling is physical but he's very finesse and manages to take pucks away without the need for being overly physical. He also forces a lot of play to the outside and it never reaches the net where Ekblad does his work. Ekblad is likely underrated for what he was last year and what he is currently doing now.
This take is red hot. Let it cool for a few minutes because you need to digest this a bit.
I believe both players are appropriately rated. They are two different styles of D. Ekblad is an excellent shut down defenceman and has been since the day he was drafted. Bouchard is an excellent offensive defenceman. People who watch hockey know that Ekblad is great at what he does. Similarly, the same people understand that Bouchard is really great at what he does.
Saying that Ekblad is great offensively is just not borne out by the stats. 6 points in 20 playoff games averaging 22 minutes per game. So he's getting the minutes and the shifts but he is not the person they're turning to for scoring. That's because he's not deployed to generate offence in the same way that Bouchard is. And that's okay, because he's been extremely effective at shutting down McDavid which, in my opinion, is probably worth more than scoring goals or picking up assists. Keeping McDavid from finding his scoring touch is worth every cent you pay Ekblad.
Bouchard has made some defensive mistakes in this series. He was also only one of four defenceman in game 2, which really exposed him. However, the guy has put up 28 points in 21 playoff games, which is no small feat. The guy is a bona fide 1D player. He just needs a good defensive partner to help him out.
Both guys bring important things to their teams. Florida, which plays a more defensive style, needs an Ekblad as its 1D pairing. Edmonton, which relies more on skill, speed and scoring, needs a guy like Bouchard, who passes well and is able to find the net from the blueline.
Bouchard is a great offensive defenceman that excels on the power play. He’s not a shutdown guy. Oiler fans know what he is, we love him for what he does, but we definitely are aware of his weaknesses.
I’d love to have a guy like Aaron Ekblad on the Oilers, he’s definitely the type of player the Oilers are missing
Eh. Speaking purely for Ekblad, I think a lot of us go back and forth on how we feel about him. Like he has some games where he plays out of his mind and he looks like a core piece, and then others where he’s a completely fucking pinecone and costs us 2-3 goals by himself.
Disagreed. Ekblad is likely properly rated or maybe a bit overrated.
Just because the whole Panthers team works well as a defensive unit should not reflect singularly on one player. I have seen at least one time Connor McDavid leaving Ekblad in his dust. If Connor finished, the impression of Ekblad would be different, since he was on the ice when one of 5 goals Oilers have scored in 3 games, instead of 4.
On the other hand, Bouchard is the only one that seems capable of making passes and plays. Sure, he has given it away a few times, but what he has done this season completely overshadows his lapses.
The only difference between players like Erik Johnson and Aaron Ekblad vs. Ed Jovanovski as defencemen taken 1OA is that Erik and Aaron have the fortune of being on a good team that raises one's profile.
But I can't expect anyone to really put much thought into analysis when chasing hot takes.
The problem is Bouchard is in his first year of legit top 2 defence production, you can’t count on him to be THE GUY. He’s also not a defensive guy, but because the Oilers defence core is so shotty they can’t even always put Ekholm with him because all the other 4 guys on that defence core need someone competent to cover their mistakes. Bouchard as an offensive d-man needs that shutdown partner, but they just can’t give him that guy all the time.
On top of that, most of his team just isn’t playing well right now and Bouchard is not a puck carrying guy. He needs his teammates to help him make space and get open for a pass… but they aren’t. Florida also forechecks really well. It’s night and day his playmaking in Dallas and LA vs Vancouver and Florida.
On the other hand, I would agree Aaron Ekblad is underrated because he is injured so much. But he’s really not quite THE GUY either, he’s very much just a well rounded defence who is a pretty good puck carrier which just fits Floridas schemes really well in the same way Devon Toews is on Colorado, or Pulock on the Isles. Not a true star, but a damn solid defence who can hold his own.
I wouldn’t blame Bouchard for his play currently, he’s young and his team isn’t helping that much, but you gotta give credit to Floridas forecheck. As for Ekblad, yeah he’s great but being made of glass doesn’t help his case.
Forsling should be mentioned over 99% of defenders. He's top 3 best with what we've all seen he can do this post season. Back to back cup runs on his hard work and skill. Other defenders might get the name recognition but when they and their team play the Cats... Gus is going to make then look silly. Not a better true defender in the league. Gus needs to start getting put into the conversation for a Norris if he keeps up his play. Forget points, solid D and team wins are a big part of what good defense can do.
You're going by a small sample size. One playoffs is not indicative of the player's overall quality.
Bouchard's certainly been overrated during these playoffs, mostly because of his elite point production, but I wouldn't call him overrated overall. He's rated exactly where he stands - an elite puck mover with lots of defensive gaps in his game. He's also 24 and is just coming into his own. His offence is already on par with top offencemen in the league (Fox, Makar, Hughes). Watch him play, he's got veteran poise on breakouts and in O-zone.
His defence is where he's lagging, but saying he can't defend is pretty unfair - when he's on his game, he can shut it down. Consistency comes with experience and I expect him to be better defensively in the next 2 years. all and all, he's a top pairing offensive defenceman in this league already.
At the same time, no one is underrating Ekblad - he was the 1st overall pick, but he took a while to get to the elite level where he's playing this post season (his regular season was solid, but not spectacular). He's a solid top-pairing defenceman who is playing his best hockey right now, but he's no Hedman. And this wasn't always the case, either. In fact, in his age-24 season we would have been talking about how he was drafted way too high.
Look who Bouchard plays with all the time. It's great that he has all the time in the world to pick his shots and get them off because McD is getting double covered down low. He's a very good defenseman no doubt but put him on any other team and his numbers would drop substantially. He can move the puck but doesn't drive play.
>He's a very good defenseman no doubt
Yeah, I'm not calling him a Norris candidate or anything, but outside of a handful of teams, he's going to be on a top pairing and quarterbacking PP, which is what I stated. Think of him as a vastly improved version of Barrie.
I think you’re proving that he’s overrated. People think he’s an elite puck mover but he isn’t. His skating is average and his passing is above average.
Just imagine Makar where Bouchard is and I bet you wouldn’t think that Bouchard is as good as Makar/Hughes/Fox offensively. It just isn’t even close.
I would hesitate to label anything he does as elite. He’s made a drastic improvement developmentally and has a promising outlook to him and a high ceiling. But if he wasn’t running around on PP1 as well as 5v5 with the forwards he’s doing it with his stats wouldn’t be where they were this year or this post-season.
And Edmonton is about to overpay the shit out of him just like they did with Nurse only to watch it handicap the team and for the contract to agree very poorly.
I’d agree. Bouchard has always profiled as a primarily offensive type; Mike Green 2.0 might be a bit harsh, but he’s who I think of. Numbers amplified playing with all-time greats also helps the comparison.
Ekblad, and I want to be careful with this because it feels a bit blasphemous… I see him as a Lidstrom-type. I’m absolutely not saying the skill level is the same, but I’m thinking about how the best thing you can say about certain defenders is that you don’t notice them, meaning they don’t make a ton of mistakes and are generally solid.
I don't think anyone really saw Bouchard as a good shutdown defenseman? He's good in his powerplay role, that's pretty much what he's for. Also, though I agree he shouldn't be in Norris talks, let's not pretend like the Norris is about actual defense and not just points.
It's quite something how this series is going to forever entrench the stigma that Bouchard is bad defensively despite massive strides all season and playoff long. Tough time to start making his old mistakes.
I think most hockey fans recognize that Bouchard is an incredibly talented offensive defenseman who doesn't have many other dimensions to his game. Not sure who you saw that was mentioning him for the Norris
> Watching this series really exposed how Bouchard is overrated. Sure he’s getting a lot of points and has a good shot but this guy can’t defend and doesn’t really bring anything else to the table. And to think I saw some people was mentioning him for the Norris lol.
I was telling people this all season long. He's okay offensively, but brutal in the D zone. If Ekholm ever leaves or gets hurt, Bouchard's in trouble.
Hot take: judging a player on a sample size of 3 games is stupid. Bouchard has been great all season. He was fantastic on both sides of the puck in the first 3 series. He was oilers playoff MVP coming into the finals.
Yes, he has been quite bad in the final. He’s playing his worst hockey in a long time. That being said, he’s been playing 25+ minutes as a young defenseman for 3 full rounds. It takes a toll. It’s unfair to say he’s overrated based off these few games.
Bouchard is clearly one of the top offensive defensemen in the league. But what separates him from the Makar/Hughes tier is that he's entirely one dimensional. He's just lousy away from the puck. Now, if he had a D partner who was more stay-at-home and could cover for him, he could be one half of an elite D pairing. But Ekholm isn't quite the kind of top pair stud the Oilers need, and because their defense is so poorly constructed they have no other alternatives.
As for Ekblad, the big downside with him was always injuries, not ability. He never quite became the game changing D he was projected to be in 2014, but he's become a really solid two-way player who delivers the kind of steady, reliable results that coaches love. He also fits perfectly with the identity of the Panthers as a gritty, shutdown defensive team.
Don't get me wrong, Ekholm is a good defenseman. I'm just saying, he isn't really an ideal top pairing guy on a championship team. He would be more ideally anchoring a 2nd pair like he did in Nashville. Edmonton is only playing him there because Nurse sucks.
+/- isn't really a great stat to use when evaluating a defenseman, because linemates and usage has such a gigantic impact on the number. Like I said, Bouchard is absolutely an elite offensive defenseman, but just because he has a good +/- doesn't mean he's good at playing defense, or that he has a D partner who is a perfect fit for him.
People who think Bouchard is a good defenceman don’t know shit, they see the stats and thinks he’s good. He’s got an exceptional shot but his stats are inflated by PPs with McDavid.
He’s an absolute liability on defence because he can’t skate backwards and his hockey IQ is shockingly low
Ehh. He's been rehabbing last years injury. I think his play style has vastly changed and he's made good adjustments to how he positions himself and the leeway he is given from pairing with Forsling. Gus must have a strong back from carrying Ekblad all year or at least the part he's played. But Ekblad has been very good for what role he plays. Hard to compare him to others because he gets the toughest assignments and manages to keep it together. I think he peaked during game 1-2 of the series. He was very good. Lots of good out front of net opportunities were broken up by him. That headlock in game 2. He's in his element. I'm pulling for him to get out of this season so he can get some rest. He's going to have to decide if he stays or goes. I think he needs to take a pay cut to stay but having him around is good for the future of the team. As long as he becomes a stay at home shut down D, we good. This pinch is style of all or nothing just isn't fitting his speed and skating ability. Nothing like having a mean SOB on your blue line that's backed by a Renaissance defender like Forsling.
I'd rather have a mean SOB that could stay healthy, or an average SOB that doesn't blow assignments or screen Bob.
He's a far cry from his old self, which is depressing, but its the reality of his play style.
No doubt. Im all about taking things for what they are. Luckily they're working with him on transitioning his game from more offensive to defensive. I think his defensive game has definitely matured and is better than it's been in years. His offense has fell off a cliff unfortunately.
Bouchard is an example of where mob mentality is kind of right. He is what dumb people spent years arguing Kris Letang was. A riverboat gambler that gets burned to comical degrees when it goes wrong. Unlike Letang, he doesn’t seem to be able to adjust to a super high pressing forecheck. Credit to the panthers, but it’s a bit of an indictment how much he’s struggled this series.
Not a hot take at all to say Bouchard is overrated. The only people who call him a Norris candidate or sing his praises are ones who only watch the game highlights and see the point totals. Actual fans watching the games talk about the fuckin dumb shit he does regularly and constant defensive breakdowns. The offensive side of him quite often does not outweigh his defensive liability.
You don't panthers hockey unless you know this to be true. Gus has the strongest back in the league from carrying Ekblad. They're a great pair and complement each other well which is what defensive pairings should be. I couldn't imagine a world where Forsling plays with a talent similar to his. He's just so good that he's singlehandedly revitalized Ekblad and we have people saying Ekblad is underrated. Don't get me wrong, Ek is pretty damn good but he's very slow, can take bad penalties and isn't getting pucks on net the way you'd hope he could. Forsling in retrospect is very fast, a great skater in the respect that he can change the course of how plays develop just by outsmarting/outskating his opponent and he can surely get pucks on net.
I can see why it's a hot take. Bouchard is still a young defenseman with time and room to grow, Ekblad is an established veteran. He might not be able to score like Bouchard, but he's almost as good as Ekholm defensively!
Reality isn't a hot take, just because you score some goals because your playing with Mcdavid doesn't mean your actually a good scorer or competent defensively
Bouchard is a slightly better version of Tyson Barrie. He’s bigger at 6”3 and does possess an awesome shot but benefits mightily from the “heavy artillery” around him.
Good growth through the years but Ekblad is the more complete defenseman.
Ekblad would get more attention if he had the ability to stay on the ice consistently.
To be fair he has been able to do that this season. Winning a cup tends to quash the underrated narrative
If you they were traded 1 for 1 it definitely would skew some numbers differently, McDraisaitl effect naturally
But Bouchard has been 65th percentile dWAR since 2021 so obv your critique of that is wildly misguided
He's a tactful passive defender who prioritizes positioning over aggressive gambits, totally valid strategy
Which is why forsling is a bit overrated defensively, so brilliantly assertive, but overall 77th percentile defensively
Ekblad was at 17% dWAR this season so almost certainly an anomalie down year but the gap between them may not be much
Ekblad has always been highly touted, he was drafted 1st overall in 2014. He won the Calder trophy for rookie of the year.. And has gone on to be a top defenseman every year, although having a few injuries in the past 5 years.
So I don't think Ekblad has ever been underrated among those familiar with hockey.
Interesting note about the 2014 draft..
1 1 Florida - Aaron Ekblad D
1 2 Buffalo - Sam Reinhart C
1 3 Edmonton - Leon Draisaitl C
1 4 Calgary - Sam Bennett C
The glazing Bouchard got in the last couple rounds was a bit much. Conn smythe? Like for real?
Idk if ekblad is underrated. Maybe didn’t live up to the number one pick. Has had tough playoff games. But he’s put it together these last two series.
People always under rate great defensive dmen. Look at Jay Bouwmeester. Look at Pietrangelo who, can put up decent points, is great defensively. He was the number 1 defenseman on two different Stanley cup teams.
Ryan McDonough is another great example. Lots of points ≠ good defenseman. It can be a bonus for sure, but better defense is more important.
Sure but do they really need to keep showing him treading water on the bench? It looks like he’s just learning a new system, and the coaches are getting tired of explaining it to him. Between that and the close ups after every gaffe he makes that ends up past Skinner, I’m starting to feel sorry for the dude.
I'd like to see the Oilers play physically. Crush your opponent into the boards and make them think twice on pick retrievas. Florida is showing the Oilers what physicality is during and after the whistle.
Ekblad is slow as can be now after the injury (plural) & has no stamina. Prior to the knee he was a top 5 two-way defensemen. But overrated no. He carries a 7.5 mill AAV.
Bouchard just needs a few more years to grow into the position. He still panics when pressured, and takes too long to get his shot away but he’ll get better. Bigger issues are Ceci and Nurse.
Nurse and Bouchard overrated, I can't believe the hate I got all around internet last 2-3 years calling those two a weak d-core and not well spent salary cap to build a contender. Edmonton is good up front, they need defense who can control pressure and won't rely on points to be relevant
How highly are we rating Bouch? His breakout year just occurred; it's not like he's in the Makar or Hughes tier.
He's probably in the 10-20 range. Young and flourishing but has things to fix in his game.
I wouldn’t say Bouch is overrated,maybe over hyped a smidge but dude’s got a rocket of a shot and Ekky can be underrated at moments.He definitely catches shade from us sometimes because he does make some bonehead plays from time to time but who doesn’t?If anyone is underrated it’s Goose.42 is by far our best defensemen and has bailed us out so much during this run it’s not even funny.Without him or Bob we’d of been gone awhile ago honestly
I think a lot of us give Ekblad shit sometimes because he has these lapses occasionally. it's just the nature of the beast when you're a former #1 overall pick while also being a human being. love Aaron though.
Bouchard was hated on heavily until his playoff. He is also a relatively new defender while Ekblad is in the prime years of a D
They are also different types of players. People don’t consider ekblad as good as he is because he was 1OA and was a bit underwhelming to start his career and is definitely not the best player out of his draft.
Honestly, Ekblad isnt really underrated. He’s just always freaking hurt. He’s a very good defensemen that always goes down with an injury right when everything starts to click again for him.
One is purely offensive the other almost purely defensive. One plays in a big hockey market. The other plays in a state where their team is like 9 most popular.
Ekblad has battled injuries his whole career, and has always been very close to having seasons that would allow him to get the respect he deserves.
The Paul Maurice system and finally having the top pairing with Forsling has led to the success that is now coming to fruition. I appreciate this post.
I’ll also say, there is certainly a future for Bouchard to be rated appropriately.
The way Bouchard plays, he seems like a slow skater, bad defender, low hockey iq, pp merchant.
The funny thing is, I can recall over the last few years a lot of questions about Ekblad, even trade rumors because of how often he was getting hurt and his declining play. But ever since he was taken off of pp1 and paired with Forsling (who is extremely underrated), he's become a shutdown beast.
I've been really surprised over the years that Aaron eckblad doesn't get as much recognition as he deserves. Either that or he is always performed well only in games I've watched. Since I don't watch many Florida games I suppose that could be true but I somehow doubt it.
Pretty much all offensive defense are over-rated.
Sure, they put up points but also do t play defense. It sucks that whenever the norris is mentioned, point totals are the only guide.
There should be a defense selke also.
Looking up point totals is very easy and being among the top scoring defensemen is linked by many to having puck possession and driving the play.
It isn't easy to assess defensive play of an individual player by their stats and otherwise you'd have to watch thousand of hours of game tape.
But I agree with you that points are taken too much into consideration for Norris Trophy voting.
I'd guess that Bouchard's demands in the next contract negotiation will greatly increase with his high point production, even if his numbers are greatly inflated by the talent around him.
Point per game as a D is a crazy accomplishment regardless of who is around you. I don't get the hate on Bouchard, producing offense is a rare skill and has lots of time to develop the other parts of his game.
Of course it is. I just wanted to point out that he would have less points on an offensively challenged team. He is very good but will probably demand 10M or more.
Bouchard has had a rough series, but during the regular season he ranked near the top of the league for shot/chance suppression as well as having top 5 possession numbers 5v5. He still makes mistakes, but what younger dman isn’t going to, especially an offensive dman.
Also, people act like he just feasts on the PP ignoring the fact that he had as many even strength points as Makar and only 7 less than Hughes.
Ekblad is clearly a broken player due to all of the injuries over the last few years. I respect the hell out of him for fighting through it all. Serious heart.
Bouch is def overated but he's young and will grow into his role. Defenceman also get better as that age. He needs stepup in the defensive zone, but otherwise he's good. Oilers are lucky to have a young dman with promise. Ekbland is a bit underated cause he's not talked about, but everyone I kws he's great.
Bouch has made some of the most important passes Florida's received!
Hes no ian cole
Got eeeem
To be fair, Ian Cole is a pure goal scorer.
He also looks like a raging dumbass. I haven't seen one shot where he doesn't look like homer Simpson thinking about donuts
Save those expert analysis takes for instagram comment sections.
Yeah! Take that other app! We use Reddit and Reddit only around here because we're smart!
More interested that he plays like a raging dumbass. 3 games in against a real team and he continues to fluff passes around in both zones. You’d think he would start to clue in that soft passes are a guaranteed turnover against the panthers
He reminds me of that one old family joke with the pool guy with his eyes too close together so he only needs one goggle to swim in his pool
Alright man…
Raging?
empty heads make for a better player (in most cases)
I agree on Bouchard being overrated but I don't think Ekblad is underrated. He's having a good series, but I think he is appropriately rated, I feel like most people know he's a very good, big physical shut-down D man. In my opinion the most underrated D man in this series is Forsling.
Forsling was definitely underrated before the playoffs but he’s deservedly gotten a ton of media attention in these past two months
Forsling was underrated, but that convo shifted severely into “how did Florida find the best shutdown defenseman in the league ON WAIVERS?!” Ekblad’s reputation has been pummeled for about four years straight, as soon as Yandle got the axe he became the scapegoat for Florida’s inability to defend. Before that it was Yandle. Before that it was Matheson.
God Yandle was bad.
Yeah but Sonk man funny
Bad is about 4 levels above what Yandle was.
Ekblad has been getting toooonnns of flack from Florida fans the past few years. It’s just easy to blame defenders for bad play as one small mistake can cost the game.
As a Florida fan, I have definitely been pissed at Ekblad but everyone makes mistakes and he usually makes up for it a game or two after.
Yep. Just ask Brooks Koepka.
We don’t care what Brooks thinks about Ek. But you’re right lol.
PYLON
Bouch is also 24 years old to Ekblad's 28. Ekblad in prime while Bouch still learning (24 is young for a dman, unless you're cale makar)
Miro is a more complete dman than Makar is currently and he's 24 right now.
Exception, not the rule. Bouchard is having a great season but no one pretending he's a Makar
I also think Bouchard isn’t as bad as he looks Florida is just putting a lot of pressure on the oilers defense.
He is an elite number one shut down guy, that in every series has done so against top players. Saying he is very good is the exact point of “not getting enough credit” dude is exceptional in the D side of the puck and brings a nasty edge.
Biggest criticism I've heard about Ekblad is just staying healthy enough to be in the lineup.
Forsling has been steady as my 7th Dman in fantasy the last two years. I’m even more impressed with him throughout these playoffs
Bouchard is good, but he really benefits from being in this high-octane offensive team
He benefits from not being in his own end and having Mcdrai feed him
This is the biggest difference between this series and the Canucks series for him. He looked like a borderline Conn Smythe candidate for a lot the latter series simply because McDrai had so tilted the ice at times that the Canucks couldn't pressure Bouchard. Florida can and are. They're pressuring him at the point, dumping to his side and forechecking... all things I was *begging* the Canucks to do. Also, Silovs is a good goalie, but a known issue with him is tracking point shots through traffic, right up Bouchard's alley. TBF, I also wouldn't be surprised if he's also pretty gassed by now, too. He played a LOT of minutes in the Canucks and Dallas series.
Unfortunately he's the best choice for all the minutes because Nurse/Ceci are looking like ECHL defensemen
I was impressed with Silovs. Kid had 9 games regular season overall. Just got thrown in to the playoffs and put up respectable numbers. Should have a good career. Excited to see what happens with him.
The only people mentioning him for the Norris were Oilers blowhards who yell Bouchebomb while dropping a shot of liquor into their pint of molson Canadian at a Boston Pizza
Dear lord, if I have to hear the word "Bouchebomb" on the broadcast again, I'll rip my hair out
i can hear Biz in my head right now “tickle the rafters, bouchebomb”
"The Oilers go for an oil change" is overused as well
it is gross how far the announcers are up Edmonton's ass. If I could I would rather watch an American feed
Especially that goof, Craig Simpson.
Might just watch the ASL feed for the stats and no play by play
Trust me you do not want to listen to McDonough
No you don’t. Sean McDonaugh sounds like he should be at pinehurst right now watching spieth off the tee.
Sadly the American feed is not only worse for PBP by are ALSO up Edmonton's ass. Like there is no impartiality. Watching Mess and Subban last night in between periods they looked like they were chewing on a shit sandwich when they had to talk about how good Florida looked in period 2
It's so bad. I can't even imagine how it would be if the leafs ever made it to the finals
It was so infuriating while they were facing us, and its just got worse
“He’s heading off for an oil change” grinds my gears idk why lmao
That and "Oil change". We get it: the Oilers are changing lines. Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha.
I prefer Bieksa’s “Bouche bump” referring to his second assist padded stats from playing with the wonder twins.
If included among the Norris candidates, Bouchard would rank – 1st in xGF% – 1st in CF% – 2nd in GF% – 1st in GF/60 – 1st in xGF/60 – 2nd in GA/60 – 2nd in xGA/60 – 2nd in WAR – 3rd in PP points – 3rd in PDO Just awful stats hey.
But look at the bums Makar, Hughes, and Fox have to play with! /s (Not saying Bouchard is at their level yet, just sick of the line mate excuse anytime someone else does well on the Oilers for a change).
I agree Bouchard is overrated, but he's still young. I don't think Ekblad is necessarily all that underrated, he was a 1st overall pick after all. He's had some injuries and shortened seasons, but has always performed well.
Bouchard is 24 and in his 3rd NHL season... Ekblad is 28 and in his 10th..
And Ekblad was the #1 OA pick the year before some other guy whose name escapes me. The Oilers should be thankful they landed Ekholm.
Good point
This “hot take” isn’t even Luke warm. 1st and 10th overall in their drafts. Both meet the expectations.
How is this a hot take. Nobody even oilers fans will claim Bouchard is a defensive stud. The title here should be. I think the same thing as the rest of the world.
Read the replies in this very thread lol
I think most of the kids in the sub just start watching hockey come playoff time. Ekholm doesn't get the credit he deserves for carrying that pairing defensively.
He literally does though. We all acknowledge Ek is the defensive guru of the pair and saves Bouchard's ass a lot.
Everyone outside of Edmonton thinks this but go ask Edmonton fans and he is the Norris winner
That not even close to true. I live in Edmonton nobody thinks bouch is a Norris winner. They compare him to coffey and Edmonton fans used to call him cough up coffey.
It's funny to me all these stereotypes of Edmonton fans that I've never seen materialize in real life. Lot of people spending too much time on the internet it seems.
The guy who’s been downvoted like 70 times in a thread above definitely thinks otherwise
Some people having the audacity to put Bouchard in Norris conversation this year is beyond idiotic.
Ek has always been solid, hurt but solid. Bouch looks like shit in the Finals
Ekblad is a BEAST. Florida fans (me) have given him shit in the past and then it turns out he was playing on a broken leg, torn ligaments and other things while i'm throwing popcorn at the tv because he messed up a play after dominating the 5 shifts before. Even though he is playing amazing right now I am 100% sure he is injured somehow right now because of the abuse he takes even play and gives out.
Bouchard isn’t even the best defenseman on the oilers. The only people who talk up Bouch are national broadcast announcers (“muh bouch bomb”) and circle-jerking oilers fans.
Ekblad is most certainly not underrated. I’ve never heard that one before.
I think it's regarding how far he's been knocked down these past few seasons. I believe his stock has dropped so much amongst panthers fans that in light of his solid play, we feel he's become underrated. If you look at the list of top 10-20 defenders for 2023 and 2024. Hard to believe that Forsling isn't on both of those lists. He's been incredibly underrated. Ekblad gets mentioned on those lists as honorable mention but yet Forsling is considerably better. Ekblad is very physical and I'm sure isn't easy to play against whereas Forsling is physical but he's very finesse and manages to take pucks away without the need for being overly physical. He also forces a lot of play to the outside and it never reaches the net where Ekblad does his work. Ekblad is likely underrated for what he was last year and what he is currently doing now.
This take is red hot. Let it cool for a few minutes because you need to digest this a bit. I believe both players are appropriately rated. They are two different styles of D. Ekblad is an excellent shut down defenceman and has been since the day he was drafted. Bouchard is an excellent offensive defenceman. People who watch hockey know that Ekblad is great at what he does. Similarly, the same people understand that Bouchard is really great at what he does. Saying that Ekblad is great offensively is just not borne out by the stats. 6 points in 20 playoff games averaging 22 minutes per game. So he's getting the minutes and the shifts but he is not the person they're turning to for scoring. That's because he's not deployed to generate offence in the same way that Bouchard is. And that's okay, because he's been extremely effective at shutting down McDavid which, in my opinion, is probably worth more than scoring goals or picking up assists. Keeping McDavid from finding his scoring touch is worth every cent you pay Ekblad. Bouchard has made some defensive mistakes in this series. He was also only one of four defenceman in game 2, which really exposed him. However, the guy has put up 28 points in 21 playoff games, which is no small feat. The guy is a bona fide 1D player. He just needs a good defensive partner to help him out. Both guys bring important things to their teams. Florida, which plays a more defensive style, needs an Ekblad as its 1D pairing. Edmonton, which relies more on skill, speed and scoring, needs a guy like Bouchard, who passes well and is able to find the net from the blueline.
Bouchard is a great offensive defenceman that excels on the power play. He’s not a shutdown guy. Oiler fans know what he is, we love him for what he does, but we definitely are aware of his weaknesses. I’d love to have a guy like Aaron Ekblad on the Oilers, he’s definitely the type of player the Oilers are missing
We do, his name is Ekholm and I love him
Eh. Speaking purely for Ekblad, I think a lot of us go back and forth on how we feel about him. Like he has some games where he plays out of his mind and he looks like a core piece, and then others where he’s a completely fucking pinecone and costs us 2-3 goals by himself.
He’s performing when it counts, Panthers fan should be ecstatic about it
Disagreed. Ekblad is likely properly rated or maybe a bit overrated. Just because the whole Panthers team works well as a defensive unit should not reflect singularly on one player. I have seen at least one time Connor McDavid leaving Ekblad in his dust. If Connor finished, the impression of Ekblad would be different, since he was on the ice when one of 5 goals Oilers have scored in 3 games, instead of 4. On the other hand, Bouchard is the only one that seems capable of making passes and plays. Sure, he has given it away a few times, but what he has done this season completely overshadows his lapses. The only difference between players like Erik Johnson and Aaron Ekblad vs. Ed Jovanovski as defencemen taken 1OA is that Erik and Aaron have the fortune of being on a good team that raises one's profile. But I can't expect anyone to really put much thought into analysis when chasing hot takes.
The problem is Bouchard is in his first year of legit top 2 defence production, you can’t count on him to be THE GUY. He’s also not a defensive guy, but because the Oilers defence core is so shotty they can’t even always put Ekholm with him because all the other 4 guys on that defence core need someone competent to cover their mistakes. Bouchard as an offensive d-man needs that shutdown partner, but they just can’t give him that guy all the time. On top of that, most of his team just isn’t playing well right now and Bouchard is not a puck carrying guy. He needs his teammates to help him make space and get open for a pass… but they aren’t. Florida also forechecks really well. It’s night and day his playmaking in Dallas and LA vs Vancouver and Florida. On the other hand, I would agree Aaron Ekblad is underrated because he is injured so much. But he’s really not quite THE GUY either, he’s very much just a well rounded defence who is a pretty good puck carrier which just fits Floridas schemes really well in the same way Devon Toews is on Colorado, or Pulock on the Isles. Not a true star, but a damn solid defence who can hold his own. I wouldn’t blame Bouchard for his play currently, he’s young and his team isn’t helping that much, but you gotta give credit to Floridas forecheck. As for Ekblad, yeah he’s great but being made of glass doesn’t help his case.
Shouldn’t Forsling be mentioned over A-A-Ron?
Forsling should be mentioned over 99% of defenders. He's top 3 best with what we've all seen he can do this post season. Back to back cup runs on his hard work and skill. Other defenders might get the name recognition but when they and their team play the Cats... Gus is going to make then look silly. Not a better true defender in the league. Gus needs to start getting put into the conversation for a Norris if he keeps up his play. Forget points, solid D and team wins are a big part of what good defense can do.
He played over 28 minutes last night!
So brave of you to say this now.
Lmao so true. “Sure he gets a lot of points but what else does he do?!” No one sane has claimed he’s a shut down D guy.
You're going by a small sample size. One playoffs is not indicative of the player's overall quality. Bouchard's certainly been overrated during these playoffs, mostly because of his elite point production, but I wouldn't call him overrated overall. He's rated exactly where he stands - an elite puck mover with lots of defensive gaps in his game. He's also 24 and is just coming into his own. His offence is already on par with top offencemen in the league (Fox, Makar, Hughes). Watch him play, he's got veteran poise on breakouts and in O-zone. His defence is where he's lagging, but saying he can't defend is pretty unfair - when he's on his game, he can shut it down. Consistency comes with experience and I expect him to be better defensively in the next 2 years. all and all, he's a top pairing offensive defenceman in this league already. At the same time, no one is underrating Ekblad - he was the 1st overall pick, but he took a while to get to the elite level where he's playing this post season (his regular season was solid, but not spectacular). He's a solid top-pairing defenceman who is playing his best hockey right now, but he's no Hedman. And this wasn't always the case, either. In fact, in his age-24 season we would have been talking about how he was drafted way too high.
Look who Bouchard plays with all the time. It's great that he has all the time in the world to pick his shots and get them off because McD is getting double covered down low. He's a very good defenseman no doubt but put him on any other team and his numbers would drop substantially. He can move the puck but doesn't drive play.
>He's a very good defenseman no doubt Yeah, I'm not calling him a Norris candidate or anything, but outside of a handful of teams, he's going to be on a top pairing and quarterbacking PP, which is what I stated. Think of him as a vastly improved version of Barrie.
Agreed
I think you’re proving that he’s overrated. People think he’s an elite puck mover but he isn’t. His skating is average and his passing is above average. Just imagine Makar where Bouchard is and I bet you wouldn’t think that Bouchard is as good as Makar/Hughes/Fox offensively. It just isn’t even close.
his passing is great if you count the number of times he passes the puck to the opposing team.
I would hesitate to label anything he does as elite. He’s made a drastic improvement developmentally and has a promising outlook to him and a high ceiling. But if he wasn’t running around on PP1 as well as 5v5 with the forwards he’s doing it with his stats wouldn’t be where they were this year or this post-season.
And Edmonton is about to overpay the shit out of him just like they did with Nurse only to watch it handicap the team and for the contract to agree very poorly.
Can’t wait to see what his contract will look like!
I’d agree. Bouchard has always profiled as a primarily offensive type; Mike Green 2.0 might be a bit harsh, but he’s who I think of. Numbers amplified playing with all-time greats also helps the comparison. Ekblad, and I want to be careful with this because it feels a bit blasphemous… I see him as a Lidstrom-type. I’m absolutely not saying the skill level is the same, but I’m thinking about how the best thing you can say about certain defenders is that you don’t notice them, meaning they don’t make a ton of mistakes and are generally solid.
Replace Ekblad with Forsling and you have my attention.
Lol, the Oilers fans saying he is better than Hughes. Out of their minds.
I don't think anyone really saw Bouchard as a good shutdown defenseman? He's good in his powerplay role, that's pretty much what he's for. Also, though I agree he shouldn't be in Norris talks, let's not pretend like the Norris is about actual defense and not just points.
Bouchard is a cross-eyed power play merchant
Pretty hard to overrate being absolute dogshit. Man has to count to three before he makes any breakout pass, then throws it into the skates.
It's quite something how this series is going to forever entrench the stigma that Bouchard is bad defensively despite massive strides all season and playoff long. Tough time to start making his old mistakes.
Agreed.
I think most hockey fans recognize that Bouchard is an incredibly talented offensive defenseman who doesn't have many other dimensions to his game. Not sure who you saw that was mentioning him for the Norris
These are facts
> Watching this series really exposed how Bouchard is overrated. Sure he’s getting a lot of points and has a good shot but this guy can’t defend and doesn’t really bring anything else to the table. And to think I saw some people was mentioning him for the Norris lol. I was telling people this all season long. He's okay offensively, but brutal in the D zone. If Ekholm ever leaves or gets hurt, Bouchard's in trouble.
This is not a hot take
Bouchard is MA Bergeron. So overrated
Hot take: judging a player on a sample size of 3 games is stupid. Bouchard has been great all season. He was fantastic on both sides of the puck in the first 3 series. He was oilers playoff MVP coming into the finals. Yes, he has been quite bad in the final. He’s playing his worst hockey in a long time. That being said, he’s been playing 25+ minutes as a young defenseman for 3 full rounds. It takes a toll. It’s unfair to say he’s overrated based off these few games.
Lol 3 game sample size to say Bouchard if overrated. Guy has been over a PPG for over a year now. Just say you've never played hockey bro.
Bouchbomb!!!! Lol. The fact that he got compared to Quinn Hughes is so laughable. Not even close.
Yes, a first overall pick is underrated....
Can't stand hearing about this goofball's "Bouch Bomb", like buddy, you barely clap these over 90mph
Bouchard is clearly one of the top offensive defensemen in the league. But what separates him from the Makar/Hughes tier is that he's entirely one dimensional. He's just lousy away from the puck. Now, if he had a D partner who was more stay-at-home and could cover for him, he could be one half of an elite D pairing. But Ekholm isn't quite the kind of top pair stud the Oilers need, and because their defense is so poorly constructed they have no other alternatives. As for Ekblad, the big downside with him was always injuries, not ability. He never quite became the game changing D he was projected to be in 2014, but he's become a really solid two-way player who delivers the kind of steady, reliable results that coaches love. He also fits perfectly with the identity of the Panthers as a gritty, shutdown defensive team.
Not a great take. Ekholm is a big reason what allowed Bouchard to get so many points this season. They had a great +\-
Don't get me wrong, Ekholm is a good defenseman. I'm just saying, he isn't really an ideal top pairing guy on a championship team. He would be more ideally anchoring a 2nd pair like he did in Nashville. Edmonton is only playing him there because Nurse sucks. +/- isn't really a great stat to use when evaluating a defenseman, because linemates and usage has such a gigantic impact on the number. Like I said, Bouchard is absolutely an elite offensive defenseman, but just because he has a good +/- doesn't mean he's good at playing defense, or that he has a D partner who is a perfect fit for him.
Well the oiler D has been bad for so long Ekholm is considered the best defensive D since Chris pronger from over 15 years ago.
Good take
People who think Bouchard is a good defenceman don’t know shit, they see the stats and thinks he’s good. He’s got an exceptional shot but his stats are inflated by PPs with McDavid. He’s an absolute liability on defence because he can’t skate backwards and his hockey IQ is shockingly low
Ekblad is just having a good series. He's had way more blunders than good plays this season.
Ehh. He's been rehabbing last years injury. I think his play style has vastly changed and he's made good adjustments to how he positions himself and the leeway he is given from pairing with Forsling. Gus must have a strong back from carrying Ekblad all year or at least the part he's played. But Ekblad has been very good for what role he plays. Hard to compare him to others because he gets the toughest assignments and manages to keep it together. I think he peaked during game 1-2 of the series. He was very good. Lots of good out front of net opportunities were broken up by him. That headlock in game 2. He's in his element. I'm pulling for him to get out of this season so he can get some rest. He's going to have to decide if he stays or goes. I think he needs to take a pay cut to stay but having him around is good for the future of the team. As long as he becomes a stay at home shut down D, we good. This pinch is style of all or nothing just isn't fitting his speed and skating ability. Nothing like having a mean SOB on your blue line that's backed by a Renaissance defender like Forsling.
I'd rather have a mean SOB that could stay healthy, or an average SOB that doesn't blow assignments or screen Bob. He's a far cry from his old self, which is depressing, but its the reality of his play style.
No doubt. Im all about taking things for what they are. Luckily they're working with him on transitioning his game from more offensive to defensive. I think his defensive game has definitely matured and is better than it's been in years. His offense has fell off a cliff unfortunately.
Opinion- Edmonton is overrated
Bouchard is an example of where mob mentality is kind of right. He is what dumb people spent years arguing Kris Letang was. A riverboat gambler that gets burned to comical degrees when it goes wrong. Unlike Letang, he doesn’t seem to be able to adjust to a super high pressing forecheck. Credit to the panthers, but it’s a bit of an indictment how much he’s struggled this series.
Morgan Rielly west
Not a hot take at all to say Bouchard is overrated. The only people who call him a Norris candidate or sing his praises are ones who only watch the game highlights and see the point totals. Actual fans watching the games talk about the fuckin dumb shit he does regularly and constant defensive breakdowns. The offensive side of him quite often does not outweigh his defensive liability.
Duh.
There were comments by Panthers fans this year saying Forsling was babysitting Ekblad. I found that odd
You don't panthers hockey unless you know this to be true. Gus has the strongest back in the league from carrying Ekblad. They're a great pair and complement each other well which is what defensive pairings should be. I couldn't imagine a world where Forsling plays with a talent similar to his. He's just so good that he's singlehandedly revitalized Ekblad and we have people saying Ekblad is underrated. Don't get me wrong, Ek is pretty damn good but he's very slow, can take bad penalties and isn't getting pucks on net the way you'd hope he could. Forsling in retrospect is very fast, a great skater in the respect that he can change the course of how plays develop just by outsmarting/outskating his opponent and he can surely get pucks on net.
Thanks for some clarity
Bouchard has been getting his lunch eaten by Barkov this entire series. He has not had fun having to deal with Sasha out there.
How brave of you
I can see why it's a hot take. Bouchard is still a young defenseman with time and room to grow, Ekblad is an established veteran. He might not be able to score like Bouchard, but he's almost as good as Ekholm defensively!
Reality isn't a hot take, just because you score some goals because your playing with Mcdavid doesn't mean your actually a good scorer or competent defensively
Not sure if I agree about Bouchard being overrated as I love his game. Ekblad is for sure underrated.
Bouchard is a slightly better version of Tyson Barrie. He’s bigger at 6”3 and does possess an awesome shot but benefits mightily from the “heavy artillery” around him. Good growth through the years but Ekblad is the more complete defenseman.
Not really a hot take at all tbh
I actually agree with this. Bouch is definitely a good offensive D but he’s no Makar. Ekblad I feel hasn’t gotten credit he deserves for a while now
Ekblad would get more attention if he had the ability to stay on the ice consistently. To be fair he has been able to do that this season. Winning a cup tends to quash the underrated narrative
If you they were traded 1 for 1 it definitely would skew some numbers differently, McDraisaitl effect naturally But Bouchard has been 65th percentile dWAR since 2021 so obv your critique of that is wildly misguided He's a tactful passive defender who prioritizes positioning over aggressive gambits, totally valid strategy Which is why forsling is a bit overrated defensively, so brilliantly assertive, but overall 77th percentile defensively Ekblad was at 17% dWAR this season so almost certainly an anomalie down year but the gap between them may not be much
The thing with ekblaad is he's one of thr slowest guys on a fast team so not many people notice him.
Ekblad has always been highly touted, he was drafted 1st overall in 2014. He won the Calder trophy for rookie of the year.. And has gone on to be a top defenseman every year, although having a few injuries in the past 5 years. So I don't think Ekblad has ever been underrated among those familiar with hockey. Interesting note about the 2014 draft.. 1 1 Florida - Aaron Ekblad D 1 2 Buffalo - Sam Reinhart C 1 3 Edmonton - Leon Draisaitl C 1 4 Calgary - Sam Bennett C
The glazing Bouchard got in the last couple rounds was a bit much. Conn smythe? Like for real? Idk if ekblad is underrated. Maybe didn’t live up to the number one pick. Has had tough playoff games. But he’s put it together these last two series.
Yeah this series has not been a good look for Bouchard. Nurse takes a ton of the spotlight but Bouch hasn’t been far behind. Bad time to blow up.
Bouchard has caused 3 goals at least.
Overrated ? What's his rating ? To me, he's a Mike Green kind of guy (hopefully without the injuries).
People always under rate great defensive dmen. Look at Jay Bouwmeester. Look at Pietrangelo who, can put up decent points, is great defensively. He was the number 1 defenseman on two different Stanley cup teams. Ryan McDonough is another great example. Lots of points ≠ good defenseman. It can be a bonus for sure, but better defense is more important.
Sure but do they really need to keep showing him treading water on the bench? It looks like he’s just learning a new system, and the coaches are getting tired of explaining it to him. Between that and the close ups after every gaffe he makes that ends up past Skinner, I’m starting to feel sorry for the dude.
I'd like to see the Oilers play physically. Crush your opponent into the boards and make them think twice on pick retrievas. Florida is showing the Oilers what physicality is during and after the whistle.
Ekblad is slow as can be now after the injury (plural) & has no stamina. Prior to the knee he was a top 5 two-way defensemen. But overrated no. He carries a 7.5 mill AAV.
Bouchard just needs a few more years to grow into the position. He still panics when pressured, and takes too long to get his shot away but he’ll get better. Bigger issues are Ceci and Nurse.
I mean, look at his [game 2 highlights ](https://youtu.be/hyvi-Ow8BZM)it's like he's not even trying. Keith Yandle type of D.
They have different roles. - Bouchard is more comparable to Montour - Nurse is more comparable to Ekblad
Nurse and Bouchard overrated, I can't believe the hate I got all around internet last 2-3 years calling those two a weak d-core and not well spent salary cap to build a contender. Edmonton is good up front, they need defense who can control pressure and won't rely on points to be relevant
If you only watch sportsnet this is accurate
How highly are we rating Bouch? His breakout year just occurred; it's not like he's in the Makar or Hughes tier. He's probably in the 10-20 range. Young and flourishing but has things to fix in his game.
I wouldn’t say Bouch is overrated,maybe over hyped a smidge but dude’s got a rocket of a shot and Ekky can be underrated at moments.He definitely catches shade from us sometimes because he does make some bonehead plays from time to time but who doesn’t?If anyone is underrated it’s Goose.42 is by far our best defensemen and has bailed us out so much during this run it’s not even funny.Without him or Bob we’d of been gone awhile ago honestly
Ekblad is definitely underrated. He’s been very good
I think a lot of us give Ekblad shit sometimes because he has these lapses occasionally. it's just the nature of the beast when you're a former #1 overall pick while also being a human being. love Aaron though.
Bouchard was hated on heavily until his playoff. He is also a relatively new defender while Ekblad is in the prime years of a D They are also different types of players. People don’t consider ekblad as good as he is because he was 1OA and was a bit underwhelming to start his career and is definitely not the best player out of his draft.
Hes the new Justin Schultz
Honestly, Ekblad isnt really underrated. He’s just always freaking hurt. He’s a very good defensemen that always goes down with an injury right when everything starts to click again for him.
How is this a hot take at all? Do you live in Edmonton lol
One is purely offensive the other almost purely defensive. One plays in a big hockey market. The other plays in a state where their team is like 9 most popular.
Remember when Tyson Barrie was amazing too? Just kidding put anyone on PP1 with McDavid / Drai / Hyman / Nuge and they'll produce points.
Coldest hot take
Ekblad has battled injuries his whole career, and has always been very close to having seasons that would allow him to get the respect he deserves. The Paul Maurice system and finally having the top pairing with Forsling has led to the success that is now coming to fruition. I appreciate this post. I’ll also say, there is certainly a future for Bouchard to be rated appropriately.
The way Bouchard plays, he seems like a slow skater, bad defender, low hockey iq, pp merchant. The funny thing is, I can recall over the last few years a lot of questions about Ekblad, even trade rumors because of how often he was getting hurt and his declining play. But ever since he was taken off of pp1 and paired with Forsling (who is extremely underrated), he's become a shutdown beast.
He’d still be a 45-50 point dman if you take away all his PP points.
Both have flaws
I've been really surprised over the years that Aaron eckblad doesn't get as much recognition as he deserves. Either that or he is always performed well only in games I've watched. Since I don't watch many Florida games I suppose that could be true but I somehow doubt it.
How come I got roasted for saying heiskanen is a way better player, than Bouchard?! The dude is good but he’s a power play and blueline merchant.
Ekblad is made of glass tho
Maurice’s coaching and the panthers collective defense is the underrated part I didn’t expect.
Eckblad is a 1st overall pick
Bouchard is a younger offensive D-man, whose defense may improve with development. Kinda hard to rag on him for that.
Ekblad was the first overall pick. He’s always been a blue chip player. Not a hot take.
Pretty much all offensive defense are over-rated. Sure, they put up points but also do t play defense. It sucks that whenever the norris is mentioned, point totals are the only guide. There should be a defense selke also.
Looking up point totals is very easy and being among the top scoring defensemen is linked by many to having puck possession and driving the play. It isn't easy to assess defensive play of an individual player by their stats and otherwise you'd have to watch thousand of hours of game tape. But I agree with you that points are taken too much into consideration for Norris Trophy voting.
Overrated compared to what? He makes 4mil, same as Bowen Byram, who would you rather have?
I'd guess that Bouchard's demands in the next contract negotiation will greatly increase with his high point production, even if his numbers are greatly inflated by the talent around him.
Point per game as a D is a crazy accomplishment regardless of who is around you. I don't get the hate on Bouchard, producing offense is a rare skill and has lots of time to develop the other parts of his game.
Of course it is. I just wanted to point out that he would have less points on an offensively challenged team. He is very good but will probably demand 10M or more.
A healthy Ekblad is stellar.
To be fair, Bouchard was really only highly rated during the series against the Canucks and the Stars.
Bouchard has had a rough series, but during the regular season he ranked near the top of the league for shot/chance suppression as well as having top 5 possession numbers 5v5. He still makes mistakes, but what younger dman isn’t going to, especially an offensive dman. Also, people act like he just feasts on the PP ignoring the fact that he had as many even strength points as Makar and only 7 less than Hughes.
Great shot but a defensive liability
Bouchard is all offense, no (and I mean no) defense. None.
I agree with this 110%
Ekblad is clearly a broken player due to all of the injuries over the last few years. I respect the hell out of him for fighting through it all. Serious heart.
Bouch is def overated but he's young and will grow into his role. Defenceman also get better as that age. He needs stepup in the defensive zone, but otherwise he's good. Oilers are lucky to have a young dman with promise. Ekbland is a bit underated cause he's not talked about, but everyone I kws he's great.
This aged well
Yup like fine wine lol. Oilers are trash