Player Discussion Tocchet What Is/How He Doing?

[kanucks25]

To clarify: You're saying that the personnel issue here is not actually the DFDs but the two 100 point centres not being able to make a play? And that they are offered free reign in the system that teaches high-low hockey without east-west movement (which risks turnovers)?

One point to reiterate: They are still converting more than their xGF suggests this year, as they did last year. They're just not getting into the Ozone as often, nor are they generating enough shots when there.

No, I think the defenders or the lack thereof is a major reason why the offense is struggling. Not getting the puck out of the zone fast enough and not getting it out cleanly enough on a consistent basis means the team has less opportunity to create offense, especially off the rush. And then there's the issue of the D-men trying to handle the puck on the blueline which either leads to a turnover or a blocked shot or something.

But I think the forwards, especially our top forwards, not making enough plays on their own is also a big issue that has little to do with coaching. I don't think Tocchet is telling them it's mandatory that they have to retrieve the puck and pass it up to one of the AHLers on the blueline for them to create a scoring chance. I think if Pettersson or Miller want to make an east/west pass or a pass into the slot or drive the net themselves, Tocchet would encourage that. They simply aren't making these kinds of plays because they are not playing well enough game in and game out.

I imagine guys like McDavid, Draisaitl, Mackinnon, Kucherov, Kaprizov, etc. don't feel like they need to pass up to the point when they have the puck because they're constantly beating a defender and making a pass, or beating a defender and driving the net, or beating a defender and getting a good shot off, or skating well enough with the puck to put the defenders in a spin cycle and create havoc (again, Hughes is the only Canuck who is doing these things).

 

[Bleach Clean]

No, I think the defenders or the lack thereof is a major reason why the offense is struggling. Not getting the puck out of the zone fast enough and not getting it out cleanly enough on a consistent basis means the team has less opportunity to create offense, especially off the rush. And then there's the issue of the D-men trying to handle the puck on the blueline which either leads to a turnover or a blocked shot or something.

But I think the forwards, especially our top forwards, not making enough plays on their own is also a big issue that has little to do with coaching. I don't think Tocchet is telling them it's mandatory that they have to retrieve the puck and pass it up to one of the AHLers on the blueline for them to create a scoring chance. I think if Pettersson or Miller want to make an east/west pass or a pass into the slot or drive the net themselves, Tocchet would encourage that. They simply aren't making these kinds of plays because they are not playing well enough game in and game out.

I imagine guys like McDavid, Draisaitl, Mackinnon, Kucherov, Kaprizov, etc. don't feel like they need to pass up to the point when they have the puck because they're constantly beating a defender and making a pass, or beating a defender and driving the net, or beating a defender and getting a good shot off, or skating well enough with the puck to put the defenders in a spin cycle and create havoc (again, Hughes is the only Canuck who is doing these things).

No question, Miller and Pettersson haven't delivered. Likely due to injury. At the same time, beating defenders is very difficult to do consistently when there are no rush opportunities, all other forwards avoid east-west passing, and you're cycling against a ready 5-man set. The high percentage play is to go to the Dman and everyone knows it, even the two star centres.

I think that despite the stars struggling, most everyone has settled on the defense as the real culprits here. They are terrible at creating offense. But isn't it interesting that going into the year that Tocchet focused hard on creating rush offense, the GM and coach signed possession forwards that had rush utility, and the team has utterly failed in this regard?

That with this DCorps (partial absence of Hronek withstanding), Tocchet expected this team to be better than last year on the rush... How? And now the refrain is 'they have to move their feet' and 'they're not executing the plan' and 'we've talked about being in spots to receive a pass'... To me, this showed a preference for higher event hockey with low-event defenders - A mismatch that devolved into the no-rush hockey we see now.