Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Blocked shots? Chris Butler blocked more shots and he was replaced. IMO the Kerr/Simmer love fest for this guy during broadcasts has created the illusion to some fans that Bouma is the second coming of Brandon Prust to which he is not. He doesn't have much in the way of offensive skill and he's not really much of a scrapper. He's a below average NHL player that wears his heart on his sleeve and plays very hard but his ceiling is very low. Don't get me wrong as I hope they agree on a deal but I have no issues with Treliving ensuring that the Flames aren't overpaying for 4th line players with limited upside.
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A defenseman blocked more shots? no way.
Bouma, as a 4th line player, came 2nd in rthe league in blocked shots by a forward, tied with Ryan Getzlaf and behind Boyd Gordon. The names behind him in tha category are Kesler, Vermette, Pavelski, Couture, Wheeler and Fisher. All of which get significant more icetime than he does. Not to mention he surpassed all those players in hits by a mile, with Fisher being the closest, 40 behind the mark.
Yes, he is a 4th liner with
maybe 3rd line upside, but players like him spark teams from big deficits, slow starts a lulls. Guys like him are very valueable and not easy to find these days. I think he is much more deserving of being overpaid than Engelland does. I think losing Bouma would be the same as losing Prust or Nystrom, regardless of the reasons why they left and it would be a huge loss to us and a large gain for another team