i've got a hot take that the media hasnt really picked up on, and isnt even really THAT discussed here....
The problem is coaching... Rick has in multiple post games talked about guys being in spots... when the puck is here, this guy has to be over there. when its down low, you have to be in front of the guy here.
i strongly suspect that the system Rick has them playing leaves no room for 'cheating'. when a player is 99% sure the puck is going to make it past the first forchecker maybe he should just BOOK IT if the first winger has C support. think about the game you just watched, every time Van has stable possession, he's either dead still, or has minimal speed an someone is on him.
You cant be creative with or without the puck if you have no wiggle room to push forward. Team success (as rare as it is) has come from individual efforts so far ... they need to change up their system and get a bit more Marc Crawford - off to the races type mindset.