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Last night’s game showed the newly “tweaked… defensive system. I’ve talked at length about the zone coverage that we had at the beginning of the season and how it was broken. Stepping back, there was almost an “L… formation. You would have the 2D on either side of the net along with a checking forward. At times all 3 were behind the red line with the remaining 2 forwards placed up the wall and one was waiting for a breakout pass. It left one side open and that’s where players could come in and score without any resistance in the slot.
What we see now is a hybrid man on man with a PK style triangle. If you watch Seider in particular, he will follow a forward up to the blue line. In zone coverage, it would then be the top located forward who would take over as the more savvy player use their own D as a pick to break coverage. Instead, the forward stays with the opposing D as Seider follows his assigned coverage until that forward swaps places with the left side D coverage. So the defense is much more mobile while the best checking forward will be at net front with the other two moving in PK style to close gaps.
For the rushes, the D are getting back more quickly along with help from a checking forward. Last night there was a play where it looked like Seider did a sweeping poke check to kill a breakout. Another angle showed that Copp had lifted the attacking Flyer’s stick and allowed Seider to quickly get the puck away. That tandem mentality is a throwback to Bowman’s dedication to backchecking. It’s more modern, and Seider’s skating and stick work continue to impress. His goal looked like a curve ball from one of the old NES MLB games. After hitting a stick it made a crazy curve on the way to the net. Not intentional, but very cool to see.
This system combined with Lyon’s ability to see pucks in traffic and make those timely saves has made a huge difference. Detroit got 3 goals and then locked it down. A beautiful effort and execution against a Philly team coached by one of the best “buy in… coaches for defense (at least in doses). So, now we’re heading to the area many of you have been concerned about. Husso is going to get up to speed in Grand Rapids. I don’t see LaLonde pulling the mantle off of Lyon at this point. Husso’s contract would be very difficult to move but the goalie market is starting to heat up. Reimer is probably the easiest move for teams looking for backup insurance. The hope is that Lyon continues to be “the guy… through February and that seems to be the team’s best in net chance of making a post season appearance.
Now to the available players. When Debrincat was being discussed, there were 2 (maybe 3) of the faithful in the comments who wanted to see Laine come in. While it seems that the winger is indeed available, an 8 million plus salary combined with some struggles seems to be a hinderance. Orlov is also being made available. Let me know if either player is of interest and how you offset the cost if necessary. CBJ may well want draft picks and prospects but money would have to be retained or taken on.
The final name in the mill (to his clear frustration) that I’m looking at for this is Chycrun. The D we passed on to get rid of Pav’s contract and took Cholowski. (Still looking at Calgary, Hanifin in particular but that’s for another day). Chycrun has another year of a very affordable cap hit. Ottawa’s new owner wants to get money off the books and even though Chycrun is on the outside, there is still value associated with the player. Detroit may well have Edvinsson in red next year. Tuomisto seems to be quietly gaining more accolades. Sandin-Pelikka has made some waves but unless training camp is just dominating, a season adjusting to North American hockey in GR may still be the best fit.
Is Chycrun someone you would take on, and what do you think it would take to get him? The D in Detroit is playing better, but there are players that could upgrade the depth chart. Let me know where you’re at with any potential moves, or do you hold at this point? I’m sure the office will use the Allstar Break to do a deep dive and possibly whatever networking is “legal… during that time. The next two games are big. Going into that break looking strong will likely affect the approach of the front office. Would love to see Debrincat have 2 strong outings and for Sprong to shoot more as he seems to be finding more space but deferring to a pass. As always, the comments section is a valuable tool to see where you are all at. Thank you so much for the support and participation.