Quote:
Originally Posted by Walleyedude
Very valid point about Barrie on the PP, and their PP system in general. I totally agree that his ability to handle the puck and make precision passes is far more important than his shot from the point. You need a good point shot option - accurate #1, hard being a bonus, to make it a threat and open up the ice in the middle, but I've never been a fan of the "blast if from the blue line and look for a tip or rebound" type PP. (The ol' Klefbomb and hope.) The Oilers have WAY too much skill to run that kind of PP.
From what I've seen of Bouchard, I think he has the ability and hockey IQ to effectively replace Barrie. There will be some growing pains, and maybe some tweaks will be required, but he's an excellent passer, and the Bouch Bomb is a thing, as is his ability to just get pucks through.
I'm not anti-Barrie, not at all. He's very good at what he does, and he's a guy that most teams need at least one of. He was really good down the stretch and in the playoffs paired with Kulak, and I don't mind having him back. He just might be a luxury that they can't afford though.
P.S. - I read an article the other day that Gulutzan and co are already working on strategies/changes to counter the adjustments that teams have made to defend the Oilers PP. Should be interesting...
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Gulutzan also mentioned that they arent trying to set up the Dman to score on the PP. Rather, they want the Dman to get the puck into the hands of Draisaitl and McD so they can work their magic.
Does Barry do this better than Bouchard? 100%. At this point Bouchard is a bomb from the point and he's good at getting shots to the net. He doesn't walk the line and distribute the puck anywhere near Barry at this point. He'll learn.