Quote:
Originally Posted by Blaster86
You're not buying what?
The Canucks system this year is different from what they played for much of last year. This system is very much designed around creating off-the-rush chances because that was something the Canucks struggled with and is the way most goals are scored in the play-offs. If there is nothing on the rush they don't want the players holding it into the zone, they want the puck in deep. Adopting this system with no real back-end puck movers or skaters was a big part of why the team was so leaky for odd-man rushes against to start the season.
Unfortunately this core has never been a rush chance team (which is part of the reason for trying to create it). So a lot of the time the team is getting to the blue-line and putting the puck in deep and going to dig it out. The plan when you dig it out is to then move the puck back to the point.
Tocchet doesn't want players like Pettersson (or anyone) making a skilled, possibly high-risk play near the line. He also doesn't want Hughes doing it. You will see both of them dump the puck in at the blue line if a rush chance isn't obvious. The difference is, these are the kind of plays Pettersson made his hay with at the beginning of his career, a quick move at or inside the line to create space.
The one big thing this system does in the team's favour is regularly puts the puck on Quinn Hughes' stick in the offensive zone. The issue is there are usually at-least four other dmen on the team who can't handle the puck so it's often just a dump right back to the same corner the players dug the puck out of.
Is Pettersson's confidence being shot all on the coach? No. He has also been hurt, though his coach coming out and saying that he doesn't think the injury is real probably doesn't help. In the end he'll need to be mentally stronger, but Tocchet contributing to the obliteration of the confidence of skill players isn't a new thing. The only Canucks who have maintained an increase in underlying advanced stats are the guys who want to muck it up along the wall. This is the same way it was in Arizona.
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We can agree to disagree that Tocchet's system is the reason for Vancouver's struggles, including Pettersson's. I don't agree that Tocchet doesn't want his players making skilled plays at all, especially when you see Hughes do it all the time leaving the point, driving into the slot and doing something crazy skilled to score.
Like he did the other night with his Crosby-esque backhand. If Tocchet was against his players doing skilled things to score goals, he wouldn't praise Hughes as much as he does to the media on these exact plays, referencing the skill of Quinn and creativity.
We hear fans blame mystery injuries all the time on a players performance, while actual doctors deem the player healthy and good to play. If he's hurt shut him down and let him recover. Not saying he's definitely not hurt, but if his struggles come down to a) Tocchet's system, b) Pettersson's injuries and c) Tocchet commenting on those apparent injuries in a way that's hurting Pettersson, it would be the perfect storm with no blame on the player and all the blame on the coach who happens to be the 3rd coach in 3 or 4 years for this core.