Edmonton Oilers: Four overreactions to the game 1 loss

Edmonton Oilers – Evan Bouchard and Kailer Yamamoto

Making the jump from Junior hockey to the pros is a huge obstacle for most players. Sure there are the exceptions, but as we sit now both Kailer Yamamoto and Evan Bouchard look like they could use some more seasoning in the Junior ranks.

Yamamoto is undersized, and while the style of play in the NHL has made it a lot easier for smaller players to excel, they need the speed to compensate for their lack of stature. Right now, Yamamoto looks a step behind and outmatched physically. The Oilers will give him every opportunity to showcase his abilities to start this season, but if he isn’t producing he needs to be sent down.

Yamamoto was eventually demoted down the lineup during the game, which puts his role into question. With his skill set, he needs to be playing in the top 6 to make a sufficient impact. If not his time with the Oilers this season needs to end. Some players take more time than others to make the jump. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Defenceman rarely ever go right to the NHL after their draft year. Typically their bodies just haven’t matured enough to handle the riggers of playing defence in the NHL for 82 games. Bouchard has a leg up due to the fact that he has a late birthday, making him a year older than a majority of the other 2018 draft prospects.

Being a full year older is a major advantage for Bouchard. He is physically mature enough to handle the NHL, and while he needs work in his own end his ability to make an impact on the PP could lead to him sticking around for a while. He needs to play sheltered minutes for the time being, but his ability to produce points from the backend may force the Oilers to keep him.

Getting sent down with an opportunity to be a key player on Canada’s junior team would do great things for Bouchard’s development, but the Oilers are in win-now mode. His time could be now.