Drop-Pass Breakout on Powerplay?

[EdJovanovski]

Is this a newer phenomenon? When did teams start doing this? My uncle says that he never saw teams do this back in the day, I'm young but I believe I recall teams always doing it, perhaps it's become much more prevalent over the past few years though?

 

[HighNote]

Yeah, they've been doing it for several years now. I'm pretty sure it's meant to back up the defenders to give the powerplay more room to maneuver through the neutral zone and into the attacking zone.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Never say never, but it certainly wasn't a staple before roughly 5 years ago. Now some teams are doing it on the vast majority of their zone entry attempts.

 

[HansonBro]

Its newer now since the end of the dump and chase. By design its meant to back the defense up, and then the drop pass forces the D to stop/slow down causing flat footedness while the attackers are at speed

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Next to impossible to defend against it.. if u cheat and expect the drop back, then the player keeps carrying it up. It's a great way to enter the offensive zone. Every team pretty much does it yet also every team cant figure out how to defend against it

 

[The Macho Man]

I know the Vancouver PP with the Sedins used to do this frequently. I don't know when it became commonplace though.

On one hand - it makes some sense. With four defenders standing still and with the offense attacking with speed, gaining the zone should be easier. It also allows for the trailing forward to have multiple outlets in case of an aggressive forecheck. And a lot of teams use two trailers now instead of one, which allows for two to enter with significant speed.

I think the downsides are pretty limited. Unless the pass back is read perfectly, you'll probably at least get the puck in the zone (even if it is quickly cleared).

 

[PumpkinBombX]

It started in the OHL actually. A lot of teams were doing it around 2009.
Most famously though Steve Spott implemented this in the 2013 World Juniours to very positive impact, with Ryan Nugent Hopkins being the man back to pick it up and carry it in.

It then caught on in the NHL with many of these OHL coaches going on to positions in the NHL.

 

[raymond23]

It is really only effective if the original puck carrier is a threat to enter the zone by himself and uses the drop as a second option.

Unfortunately we have Bylsma running our pp, so our guys don’t understand this concept and the original puck carrier coasts to center ice and telegraphs a drop.

 

[CaptBrannigan]

As mentioned by a poster above, I recall the Sedins using this a lot.

It is so prevalent now that if a team/coach is able to devise a way to effectively stifle it or force a turnover on the drop, that will be the next big shift that forces the offensive guys to come up with something new. It’s ubiquitous in the 3v3 OT too.

 

[Calad]

My understanding was it was developed as a way to counteract the trap on a PP entry

 

[snipes]

Not a new phenomenon at all.

Hitting the neutral zone with speed on the PP via drop pass to your fastest/most skilled player has been around for awhile.

Even beer league teams do this.

 

[Marner]

Leafs do this all the time. Pisses me off because they don’t execute half the time and kill a good 30 seconds of pp time.

 

[The Macho Man]

Not a new phenomenon at all.

Hitting the neutral zone with speed on the PP via drop pass to your fastest/most skilled player has been around for awhile.

Even beer league teams do this.

I don't recall it being as... structured? I guess is the word I'm looking for? prior to the late 00s/early 10s, and it certainly wasn't ubiquitous like it is now. I don't know a team that *doesn't* do this on 80+% of their entries.

 

[Jive Pawnbroker]

I remember this being a regular part of the Blue Jackets power play back in 2014 when James Wisniewski was playing for them. He would always start the rush and drop it back to one of the forwards, primarily Atkinson. I know the Jackets didn't start this trend but it was becoming fashionable to use about that timeframe.

 

[Combat Koala]

It is really only effective if the original puck carrier is a threat to enter the zone by himself and uses the drop as a second option.

Unfortunately we have Bylsma running our pp, so our guys don’t understand this concept and the original puck carrier coasts to center ice and telegraphs a drop.

Bolded part says it all.

All I know of the drop pass is that Hynes system used it on the powerplay for some time and it became very easy for the opposition to read it after a while. With Hynes inability to adjust in game or even game to game, it was almost infuriating to watch. Glad he got the boot.

 

[disgruntleddave]

Leafs do it incessantly. They almost never threaten from the original puck carrier. They suck at it for that reason.

If you're not threatening much, the drop back receiver has to break in with big speed through the D wall, give and go and be the guy going in deep to beat the defenders who are more or less still. That's what spezza does and it's the majority of successful attempts the leafs have. When the big guys just skate slowly and do a drop back it almost always fails.

 

[snipes]

I don't recall it being as... structured? I guess is the word I'm looking for? prior to the late 00s/early 10s, and it certainly wasn't ubiquitous like it is now. I don't know a team that *doesn't* do this on 80+% of their entries.

It’s been the popular at least the last 4-5 years I believe? Probably more.

I remember talking with my male family members about this play at Christmas time a year or so before my son was born (I live in the Western Canadian prairies — we take our beer league seriously).

So I’m thinking it’s at least 3-4+ years of being popular, I’d venture closer to 5ish years based on that viva voce oral memory jog.

Your thoughts counsel? I honestly do think it’s around 5+ years we’ve seen the “neutral zone drop pass” with speed to the fastest forward. I remember this because I’m a stay at home D man who does the drop pass on my beer league team lol.

But yeah, it’s gotta be at least around a half decade or so.

 

[BruinsBtn]

The Bruins don't do it anymore and I'd guess their PP zone entries are as good as anyone's. Cassidy thinks it's a waste of PP time and I can't argue with him. But it might depend on whether or not you have a Marchand, Krug or Krejci to get it over the line and setup.

 

[The Macho Man]

It’s been the popular at least the last 4-5 years I believe? Probably more.

I remember talking with my male family members about this play at Christmas time a year or so before my son was born (I live in the Western Canadian prairies — we take our beer league seriously).

So I’m thinking it’s at least 3-4+ years of being popular, I’d venture closer to 5ish years based on that viva voce oral memory jog.

Your thoughts counsel? I honestly do think it’s around 5+ years we’ve seen the “neutral zone drop pass” with speed to the fastest forward. I remember this because I’m a stay at home D man who does the drop pass on my beer league team lol.

But yeah, it’s gotta be at least around a half decade or so.

I think we're talking past each other - yeah I agree it's gained popularity in the last five years or so. I was looking further back than that. I remember the Canucks doing it a lot in the late 00s. I would need to go back - I kind of wonder what Detroit was doing around that time with Datsyuk and Lids.

 

[snipes]

I think we're talking past each other - yeah I agree it's gained popularity in the last five years or so. I was looking further back than that. I remember the Canucks doing it a lot in the late 00s. I would need to go back - I kind of wonder what Detroit was doing around that time with Datsyuk and Lids.

Sorry, I reread and you’re thinking specifically structured drop pass with speed.

Even still, I think looking past your examples it gained traction in the mid 2010s whereby every team utilizes it to some extent.

In terms of early adoption, you’re right we might be looking at the Red Wings for the first genuine reliance on that play.

 

[ZJuice]

I don’t really remember seeing it as an Oilers fan (started in 04). Since McDavid was drafted it seems to be the only breakout play our powerplay has

 

[ccman68]

It can be pretty good but it’s pretty damn annoying when players always use it. Sergachev could have a f***ing breakaway but he would still make sure to drop pass. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him skate the puck into the zone no matter how much room he has.

 

[Szechwan]

The drop pass was a big part of what made Vancouver's PP so potent in 2011.

A Sedin would carry it up and draw in defenders, drop it to Ehrhoff, who had the lateral mobility to find a hole, then dish back to the Sedins for sustained possession in the offensive zone.

Whether they invented it, I doubt it. They were the first I saw that used it so effectively though.

 

[Bounces R Way]

I hate it.

 

[Oil Dood]

The Bruins don't do it anymore and I'd guess their PP zone entries are as good as anyone's. Cassidy thinks it's a waste of PP time and I can't argue with him. But it might depend on whether or not you have a Marchand, Krug or Krejci to get it over the line and setup.

The Oilers have the best PP in the league (best % in 40 years) and they use the drop entry. McDavid though makes it look easy.