regardless of 'types' of players they should all be able to play a system
once this stuff becomes innate traits can flow more freely
Sometimes there is just no way for a player to play like others. Would anyone expect Crosby to play like Reeves? OR Stamkos to be as good as Hedman on defence?
Garland tries but gets bounced or pushed off the puck trying to do board battles, he might be more effective in a puck possession role in the offensive zone.
And your right about systems, I have said in interviews that anyone can teach 5 cones to play defence.
I understand the best place to play defence is in the offensive zone, this works if there is a good enough mix of skill and truculence with a couple of dynamic defencemen.
Even in the dZone a 4+1 system, a little like the Wisconsin system, can be very effective. Gretzky used to be good at it actually. One player plays high checking both dmen and the rest out man those down low, each forward takes one other and plays one on one the two defence play on whomever has the puck so there is always a out man advantage. The idea is to force the shot from the point of our team's choice and as soon as it looks like there will be possession the high guy breaks between both of their dmen drawing them off. This allows for, usually one of the dmen, a free zone to skate through with an outlet pass to the high guy.
In the offence zone again it is a 3+1 offence with at least two passes from one side on the boards behind the net. This commonly draws attention to the puck, the defence players down lower opening up a corridor to the net by our dman.
There is also what I used to call cutthroat shift management, like 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 4, 2, 3, 2, 4, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 4, 2, 3. It makes line matching very hard and supplements a team with an overall lower skill level. Shifts are very fast 45 secs. The other small idea is using the shift change, skate as fast for a shift change as when going to the ice and use the closest exit point and the player going on the ice gets on closest to the other team's goal or backchecking. Also defence are changed with the closest first regardless of side, then a switch of position and change. If LD is farthest away then the RD changes, the new LD goes on and changes sides with the tired LD then the RD goes on. There is a modified method for forwards.
The coaches have to keep track and tell the players who, where and when or at least remind them as the coaches will be keeping track of the changes.
There is more but my coaching requires teaching the assistants as well as the players. Video is used to see if mistakes are chronic and need to be addressed with players one on one. Or that line needs to play a different way offensively or defensively.
There is more. But just saying.
Oh and one other small tidbit, talk TO players not AT them. It is a game of mistakes, they happen. But knowing what your team is going to do speeds up the game, skate onto the puck, pass to a zone/area.