Derlique Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Another youngster on the cusp of being full time. Tore it up his last year in Sarnia and had an encouraging first pro year in Albany. This year, the production wasnt as strong, but he did maintain a similar shot rate. I think he's a little weak and slow which will hinder him at the next level. But his shot is so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I think his NHL career will depend on whether he can find holes in the defense. He's never going to be fast, but we do know from his limited time up here that he's relatively strong on his skates. He'll need someone to pass him the puck - Adam Henrique is not going to be a suitable center for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfitz804 Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 So far, for a guy that set his team's scoring record in the OHL, he's been completely boring. I am hoping he will benefit from our new system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilsfan118 Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 He hasn't shown whatever it is that allowed him to shatter Stammer's record in junior hockey. Not yet, at least. I hope he can learn to.. get his shot off more quickly? Make space for himself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derlique Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 He hasn't shown whatever it is that allowed him to shatter Stammer's record in junior hockey. Not yet, at least. I hope he can learn to.. get his shot off more quickly? Make space for himself? I dont think him getting his shot off is an issue. His snap shot is insane, and that's the shot the typically takes the least amount to get off. Probably a combination of finding holes in the defense, not having a good playmaker and opportunity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ELIAS6 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 i feel like reid has so far translated into the nhl as a little bit of a dis appointment. After how well he had done prior i feel like he was a little hyped up to be a good bit better than what he has shown. I dont know, not too high on him or s.m. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RizzMB30 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I was incredibly high on him before this past season. He's regressed, but I believe he could possibly bounce back and become something special. But I also think the same way about Jacob Josefson, so obviously I'm a little more optimistic than most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimaira_Devil_#9 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 If I was going to play Boucher with anyone it would be Josefson. He is very much pass first, also he is good in his own end, so he might be able to take the pressure off. I would have kept Gomez around, him feeding the puck to Bobby would have been excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Still optimistic about him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils Pride 26 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 If I was going to play Boucher with anyone it would be Josefson. He is very much pass first, also he is good in his own end, so he might be able to take the pressure off. I would have kept Gomez around, him feeding the puck to Bobby would have been excellent. Was going to post this about JJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vadvlfan Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Did playing on a line Yakupov inflate his numbers a tad? Sure didn't hurt. I hope he shows us something this year. This year is crucial. Something many of us have wanted is for the kids to get their chance to prove themselves. It's now time to fish or cut bait. This isn't just about Bouch, Matteau, but our D corp, JJ, Kalinin, they're all playing for their futures this fall. If they suck, they won't bring a decent return in trade value. This is more about David Conte legacy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caron14 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Well Boucher will never be a gamebreaker. But, i think he can become a top 6 player in the NHL. He has a lot of offensive tools, but his speed is an issue. If he plays with a great center he would puts up numbers. Problem is that we have to much player that depend on others linemate. We dont have any superstar forward that make others better. Hopefully, Zacha could become one. I love the idea of putting jj and reid on the same line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BostonNala370 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 i feel like reid has so far translated into the nhl as a little bit of a dis appointment. After how well he had done prior i feel like he was a little hyped up to be a good bit better than what he has shown. I dont know, not too high on him or s.m. I feel the exact same way about both. I think Boucher playing with JJ won't work , JJ has too much speed for him, Reid is too slow a skater. I would like to be surprised and be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas0nMacIsaac Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Give the kid a center and some easy minutes, he has shown the ability to get a lot of dangerous shots at the NHL level. Once he figures out soft spots at the NHL level he should start scoring. i don't think he has as many holes in the defensive zone as others do. Pretty strong on the boards his rookie season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I feel a lot of the expectations on Boucher stemmed from just seeing "oh he broke Stamkos' scoring record". Yeah, he did it when he was two years older. That's an enormous factor in the OHL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nessus Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Yeah 17 vs. 19 is a pretty big difference. Plus Boucher did it in more games, so it really in't quite as impressive as it seems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titans04 Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 jury is still out, hoping for the best. Agree that his OHL #'s are a little mis-leading because of his age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilsfan118 Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 I feel a lot of the expectations on Boucher stemmed from just seeing "oh he broke Stamkos' scoring record". Yeah, he did it when he was two years older. That's an enormous factor in the OHL.I wasn't even aware he was an overager the year he broke the record. Certainly makes it less impressive. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 I wasn't even aware he was an overager the year he broke the record. Certainly makes it less impressive. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk He was not an overage player. Boucher was 19 the entire year - an overage player is someone who turns 20 before January 1 of that junior year. It's just that Stamkos was 17, it was his draft year. Obviously he would've crushed that record had he been in junior at 19, for some reason. He's still quite a scorer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils731 Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Boucher also had a good 20 year old season in the AHL. I've seen people say this is the do or die time for Boucher but I think some get a little impatient because they've heard his name for a bunch of years. This is only his 22 year old season coming up and even if Boucher ends up in the AHL again, I'd be pretty content about his future if he put up a solid season down there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimaira_Devil_#9 Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Boucher also had a good 20 year old season in the AHL. I've seen people say this is the do or die time for Boucher but I think some get a little impatient because they've heard his name for a bunch of years. This is only his 22 year old season coming up and even if Boucher ends up in the AHL again, I'd be pretty content about his future if he put up a solid season down there. It gets magnified because he is the only forward prospect who came with a slightly higher billing into a prospect pool devoid of any similar players. If we had two or three similar propspects he would get far less attention and unwarranted criticism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmann422 Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Boucher also had a good 20 year old season in the AHL. I've seen people say this is the do or die time for Boucher but I think some get a little impatient because they've heard his name for a bunch of years. This is only his 22 year old season coming up and even if Boucher ends up in the AHL again, I'd be pretty content about his future if he put up a solid season down there. agreed, not only is he 21, he's also only played 30 games at the NHL level. Most people here (including myself) argue that we still need patience with Larson who is 3 years into his NHL career, so it would be unfair to not give Reid the benefit of the doubt. I know they're different positions and have different expectations but the point is Boucher hasn't even played full NHL season, and the games he has played has been mostly with below average linemates and limited minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Boucher also had a good 20 year old season in the AHL. I've seen people say this is the do or die time for Boucher but I think some get a little impatient because they've heard his name for a bunch of years. This is only his 22 year old season coming up and even if Boucher ends up in the AHL again, I'd be pretty content about his future if he put up a solid season down there. He's waiver-eligible in 2016-17 and NJ's wing depth is horrific. He's got to be able to earn a spot, if not in September, then after some injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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