HIFE
Registered User
This Wings team is not the 2003 ducks.
Our best players are still puck possession players.
I hear ya. Watching the Wings intently for the last 3 seasons, how come it feels so different this year? Could it be all from losing Lidstrom and Stuart? I had never considered the change was because of coaching decisions, but it makes sense as well.
I doubt the D want to dump the puck out our zone, but we're getting pressured and don't have the support or confidence/talent to make a clean play like before.
One thing is the Wings possession innovations have been copied and are standard plays in the NHL. The drop pass by the D to enter the zone on a powerplay, consistently using our D as outlets while cycling, refusing to dump the puck away so instead rewinding the puck back to the D to refresh the breakout....these other teams (especially in the West) are on to us.
We need new techniques but I'm not sure we have a competent supporting cast to work effectively with D and Z.