But he's not a #1 defender. You don't get to play top 4 minutes and get to be a #1 defender. That's not how it works.

If you are one of the best defenseman in the league at generating offense at even strength while being above defensively, you are #1 caliber defenseman.

Kaiden Guhle must be an ELITE #1 right? I mean he gets top pairing minutes. No point in arguing with this guy anymore.

Maybe read my comments and you'll understand

you can have the impact of a #1 defenseman while playing top 4 minutes, that is definitely how this works. you act as if he's playing 12 min TOI in a sheltered role.

I was asked what I thought a #1 defender was and I answered it, sorry you guys got butt hurt that I called Bouchard what he was (a #4 defender). Anyways I'm moving on.

Personally, I'm may not be super high on Bouchard like some other people, but you calling him a #4 is simply ridiculous. You haven't provided any evidence showing that he is a #4 other than lame and irrelevant arguments. He is a top pair d man.

Barzal averages 18:30 min TOI on ice per game. Most top line centers get over 19 min. It doesn't take away from the fact that Barzal has the impact of a 1c

If Bouchard is a #4, I can't even imagine how many AHL caliber defensemen are on the Canadiens then.

lol it takes a lot of arrogance to act like your opinions should be accepted as fact

What you think he is, and what he's playing as is too completely different things. He's not a #1 defender right now. His TOI is a clear indicator on what he is.

I think there's a clear difference between a #1 defender and a top pairing defender.

Tyler Myers and Ivan Provorov are #1 defenseman because they get a ton of ice time. Got it

"TOI is a clear indicator"

When you say dumb things like this, it makes people take you less seriously.

And you are calling him a #4 which is basically a low end second pair d man...

It's hard to judge that really. Xhekaj clearly isn't an NHL player. Kovacevic has been decent as a bottom pairing defender. Guess the only definite answer would be Xhekaj.

I was asked. It's not an opinion when there are clear facts that back what I'm saying.

Where did I say that

He's a very good offensive defensemen. His defense is keeping him back. That's why I'm saying a #4 and not a #3. I'll admit, he's close to being a #3 defender, but he has to improve his defensive game.

Because you can't be a #1 defender if you aren't even playing #1 minutes. I never once said if you play #1 minutes, then you are a #1 defender, I actually stated the opposite many times, but I guess you failed to read that.

Currently:Evan Bouchard TOI: 2nd Pair

WAR 92%
EV Offense 100%
EV Defense 4%
PP 88%
PK 84%
Finishing 78%
G/60 82%
A1/60 90%
Penalties 74%
Competition 28%
Teammates 72%

This shows me AS A 2ND PAIRING DEFENDER.

- He's very good at offense
- He's very weak at defense
- He's sheltered

They are being deployed as #1 dmen and preforming poorly at it, Bouchard is being deployed as a 2nd pairing dman and is excelling. It's a good indicator that Bouchard might be ready for more responsibility, but I wouldn't call him a #1 dman until he shows he can actually sustain his play with the extra TOI. He should be able too since it's not a huge jump, but young dmen sometimes struggle with more ice time, more time spent matched against top lines, less generous deployment, pressure from higher expectations, etc. I certainly wouldn't call him a #4 dman, but he certainly hasn't proven himself to be a #1 dman.

Dead on assessment