Quote:
Originally Posted by neo45
Gio was noticeably better under Sutter
Or maybe he was just noticeably worse under Ward because his stretch of declining play correlates pretty well with Ward’s tenure as coach.
It’s also important to note that essentially everyone paired with Rasmus performed worse (he had a nightmare season) and everyone paired with Tanev played amazing
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Noticed that as well.
Likely has to do with the system change. As I’ve said many times on CP, Ward had the Flames playing a very taxing system which isn’t even a bad system, but the personnel on this team isn’t built for it. So in the end, it left the Flames’ defensemen very vulnerable for counter attacks and Gio’s greatest weakness is probably his mobility. Gio can be beaten wide a lot (think Ramo and McDavid injuries), so when you have the other team barreling down the ice with no back pressure, that’s not the exactly ideal system or situation to put a 37 year old defenseman into.
Sutter on the otherhand plays a much more conservative system which gives the defensemen much more support and thus, helps to cover up Gio’s shortcomings. With the game becoming much more “half court” style, that’s where Gio’s game thrives. He can use his aggressiveness and hockey IQ more under this system which should put less strain on his body, making him more effective. There’s no doubt in my mind Gio should be able to maintain a similar high level of play for years under Darryl.