[Oranje]

How come there are so many people on CDC who don't know a damn thing about hockey. Look at the threads....."Bourdon a flop", "Schneider overhyped". Idiots, complete idiots. You people take what you here or see on T.V. and live by it. Yeah Bourdon was on for 3 goals. One bloody game, and he's 20. Not all defenseman progress like Phaneuf. Schneider 2 goals on 4 shots. It's not a black and white issue, those were tough shots for anyone to save (DEFLECTIONS).

[gradin123]

I think Bourdon is talented enough to be a good NHL player. However, he seems to lack mental toughness and his confidence seems shaky. Will he mature and work his way out of that? Hopefully. He has about 2 years left to step up in my books as sometimes defenseman are slower to develop but if he hasn't shown more confidence in his own abilities by then he may be a lost cause.

[Gnickers87]

He's 20 years old

Defensemen generally take a lot longer to develop and usually aren't at their best till 26 and older. Guys like Edler and Ohlund are rare where they can step in at 20/21 and play a steady game. Even a guy like Phaneuf is still a mess in his own end a lot of the time. He makes a lot of mental errors that are overlooked because of his offensive output. While I do not think Bourdon will ever put up Phaneuf-like points, I believe he will be defensively more sound then Phaneuf will be.

Just look at Bryan Allen, he didn't become a regular NHL'er till he was 25/26, when he finally became that Defensive D-Man he was drafted to be.

Guys like Bouwmeester only played in the NHL at such a young age because he played in a non-hockey market for a crappy team, so the team didn't have any expectations. Allowing him to develop, since they didn't need any immediate results. Just look at some other high draft picks like Parent, Coburn and Staal, they're around the same point in development as Bourdon. (or slightly ahead/behind)

Smid played for the Oilers last year at 20, he was good, but still made tons of mistakes. He was just allowed a little more rope because of their Team and Defensive situation.

If Bourdon is 23 and 24 and is not showing any improvement, then he is a possible bust. But i thought he played pretty solid last night. Bourdon's problem isn't skill,talent or skating. It's confidence, the mental side of the game.

This post has been edited by Gnickers87: 21 September 2007 - 01:44 PM

[tomato sauce]

Leave Bourdon alone people...

holy cow, when-ever a decent prospect pops up on Canucks radar, and the next thing you know is
-he is the next coming of Bobby Orr
-he is the next coming of Gretzky
-he is the next coming of Patrick Roy

Not everyone steps into the League like Dion Phaneuf...Calm down, take a deep breath, just let things unfold as it is

[Aquiace]

The more time passes, the more it becomes apparent that Bourdon will not be the star offensive defenseman that he was heralded to be.

He will be a decent player. I'm not willing to speculate any more than that at this point in time. You can say it's a letdown, but it's a bit much to call it a bust.

[Robonuck]

Guys, the reason I believe he is potential trade material along with Schneider is because he is good, he has loads of potential and we can get a very good blue chip player in return. Our defensive core has never looked better nor has our depth been better. We can afford to do this and get some very good value back. And Schneider? Be honest, is Luongo going anywhere anytime soon? If, dare I say it, he gets hurt, will Schneider step in? Heck no! So we let Schneider sit in the AHL for what, three years? Who knows what could happen by then.

No I think now is the time and we have never been as fortunate to be in this position for a long time. Having the ability totrade quality in one area for quality in another and not hurt the team.

[Lost Canuck]

[Fatman]

I don't believe Bourdon is a flop. I don't think he will reach is full potential either. That is, he won't be a premiere top pairing defencemen but a top four lock for sure. He shown he has the tools, but his mental game, which was said to be his weakness when we first drafted him three years ago, is still his major weakness today.

Bourdon still has time to show that he can become a smarter defencemen, he still a year younger than Edler I believe. I think that his development as a whole was stunted by trades and injuries, and although world junior championships was good for him, it seems he still lacks the rounder package that Edler is delivering.

That isn't to say that we wasted a pick on Bourdon. For all we know, he could be a real late bloomer like many stars today (Briere for example) and not reach his star potential until he has a few NHL seasons under his belt. That's what I think will happen with Bourdon, so for him the Canucks should play the real patience game.

[Luongo]

Phaneuf is overhyped by too many general observers. He's very flashy, but I sense that he doesn't think the game very well. His defensive game leaves little to be desired. 2 playoff years, 12 games, 2 points, -12.

Weber is one of those rare defensemen that have the entire package; great hockey sense, great positioning and technique, poise, and a big physical specimen. The term underrated is well, underrated for him.

I think I've already said some of these things in my "Mitchell-esque award and more d-men (the d for defense) for Calder" rant a while back.

[Luc.Raymond]

some notable d-men picked after Luc Bourdon... Marc Staal, Ryan Parent, Kristopher Letang, Kris Russell, Cody Franson... I would like to compare like 10 years from now

[stawns]

he was fine yesterday....he made some great plays and some nice outlet passes and, though he was caught out of position 2-3 times, who wasn't? He's 20 and he made 20 year old mistakes, like most 20 yr olds do, big deal. he's going to be an important player for the organization in the future.

[Ukrainian_Canuck]

i think hes definetly a flop

but hey it nice to enjoy the optimistic rants of yougsters here
hahah

[timw33]

Ukrainian_Canuck, on Sep 21 2007, 11:21 PM, said:

i think hes definetly a flop

but hey it nice to enjoy the optimistic rants of yougsters here
hahah

ZOMG BURDON HAZNT SKUR'D GULZ AND IZNT PHANUF.

[Wetcoaster]

The worrisome part is his lack of development over three training camps. poor decision-making, seeming inability to think the game and poor positioning.

He still does not look like he has fully recovered from the shattered ankle. He does not drive off the leg, his transition skating is weak and when he is going backwards it is like he is mired in concrete.

Quote

He has been out-classed by Alex Edler and out-played by the likes of Nathan McIver, Zack Fitzgerald and Jim Sharrow.

It's early, but Luc Bourdon's play in his third camp with the Canucks, specifically his on-ice decision making, is again raising alarm bells as questions persist about his development.
............

There haven't been many questions about Bourdon's NHL-calibre skill set, although his turning ability and backwards skating have, at times, raised some concern since he suffered a devastating ankle injury in February, 2006.

http://www.canada.co...e2-a90bc82efdf3

[DMO]

I don't like his play or how slow he is coming along. But does it really matter? If he never gets to the next step in his career he will never play in the NHL again. It just sucks we wasted a 1st round pick on him. But who knows, maybe next year he'll make our top 6. We'll just have to wait and see. Either way its not going to affect our present team or outcome anyway.

[one night]

Ukrainian_Canuck, on Sep 21 2007, 11:21 PM, said:

i think hes definetly a flop

but hey it nice to enjoy the optimistic rants of yougsters here
hahah

It is obvious that your Hockey knowledge is only exceeded by the number of Ukraine hockey players in the NHL.

[ModoExpress]

convert him to forward...?

[_Name_]

ModoExpress, on Sep 22 2007, 04:24 PM, said:

convert him to forward...?

I think he has better potenial as a goalie.

[Hordichuk]

Jester@wraiths.org, on Sep 21 2007, 09:53 AM, said:

No, we should have drafted Kopitar because he was a very talented center with size, something we needed in the system far more than a defenseman. I'd have been happy if we'd taken Kopitar and he was developing slowly, instead of Bourdon developing slowly. Center needed more depth than defense needed in our system.

Remember that at the time we picked Bourdon, Bieksa didn't show the promise he has since and Edler wasn't around either. Although I guess we were still counting on Nolan Baumgartner as a prospect.

[ArmchairCanuckGM]

stawns, on Sep 22 2007, 01:49 AM, said:

he was fine yesterday....he made some great plays and some nice outlet passes and, though he was caught out of position 2-3 times, who wasn't? He's 20 and he made 20 year old mistakes, like most 20 yr olds do, big deal. he's going to be an important player for the organization in the future.

He decided to take a year off before he goes to university?