How do you envision the future team's style of play?

[Leafsman]

I mentioned this in a post and was curios about what people feel will be the future team's style of play?

I see a blend of new school offence with old school grind 'em down/shut 'em down defense.

Given our future wingers/centers like Marner/Nylander/Brown/hopefully Vesey/etc mixed with Komorov/Martin/Grundstrom/Korshkov/Hyman/ the big dman that were drafted/etc etc.

I also think Matthews kind of fits both sides and to a lesser degree Kadri/Sosh.

This team will attack with high-skill/high-tempo offence, and follow that with an in-your-face grind 'em down defense.

The beauty of this make-up is its adaptibility. You can seperate the two and give more minutes to the high-skill offense to build a lead or chase a lead. Also switch to the defence if you have to defend a lead. If you are playing a tougher team you can juggle the lines to add grit with the offense or if you're playing a defensively weak team you can juggle and play the offense more.

Love the pure adaptibility this team is striving for.

Click to read more...

 

[Duffman955]

If you watch Babcocks teams, they play a grinding defensive style.

The skill players and grinders are found throughout the lineup from top to bottom

 

[TorontoTrades]

scoring flare up top. Responsible complete game from the bottom.

 

[GojuLeaf]

we keep control of the puck a lot.
Not super physical, but definitely annoy opponents.
and of course auston and mitch team up for many goals.

 

[Bloomberg]

A possession team that has speed. Kinda like the penguins, but probably not as good in keeping possession.

 

[crump]

More of the same as last year, hard working, speed. Need to work on better shot suppression and more possession time down deep. Babcock will constantly try to improve those numbers. Andersen is about .920 -.925 goalie. Ok but he won't steel as many games as a Price, so you need to reduce those SA.

 

[Menzinger]

I see the team playing more like the Hawks than say the Kings.

There will be a tight defensive system that relies on highly skilled forwards to control the puck - no dump and chase, ect.

 

[TheBigThree]

Anything but ron wilson's era of hockey

 

[saltming]

“We’d like not to dump the puck at all. The bottom line is the game’s real simple, the more time you spend in your zone, the less time you spend in their zone, the more time you dump the puck because you got no speed on the rush. If you’re efficient coming out and move the puck and you do it right once, you’re coming with speed, you don’t have to dump the puck, you probably get some sort of entry, or at least you give up possession and get it right back.†– Mike Babcock

I want them involved. When you think about it, when I played the neutral zone used to be bigger, and the end zones were smaller so you could just stand next to your guy. Today what you gotta do is find your D-man and cut off the top. And from a low sagged position, otherwise there’s too much room. So they made it way harder, wingers used to be able to sleep, they could pick up their guy coming out of the offensive zone and take the guy back, they didn’t have to do anything. Now, you gotta compress the zone, you gotta make it smaller, you gotta give the offense no time and yet, you gotta find a way to cut off the top, and if you don’t, you gotta find a way to get in the shooting lane, so the job of the winger is way harder than it was… When I say “cut off the top,†there can be no direct passes from the puck to the top man, you have to be in a lane to cut off the top. So I say, find the D, make the zone small, cut off the top.

There is a pretty good breakdown of his system with videos here: https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/05/26/exploring-mike-babcocks-systems/

It's an old article but still relevant here.

 

[Liminality]

A possession team that has speed. Kinda like the penguins, but probably not as good in keeping possession.

I think people underestimate how hard it'll be to replicate the Penguins team when you don't have Crosby and Malkin.

I see this team as a possession team that cycles the puck and plays a team defense. Maybe a smaller but faster LA Kings team.

 

[indigobuffalo]

Block the neutral zone, aggressive forecheck, controlled zone entry, committed back checking.

 

[Territory]

Skill spread out across the lineup with high mobility. They will be fast and dangerous, but will play with Babcock structure in their own end and the neutral zone.

 

[Pookie]

Honestly, creativity in hockey is rare.

Players grow up learning the cycle and "possession" and the rest. Coaches coach systems, road hockey is banned in some cities.

Coaches generally coach not to lose. If something works, it's copied. And the NHL's gimmick point ensures that not losing the single point is the driving factor.

So, I with players and coaches thinking the same in an environment that rewards parity, I expect that the Leafs style of play will mirror that of other teams.

And sadly, the NHL is fairly boring on a regular basis. So, defensive, pointless cycling and shots that go in off bounces.

But I will still cheer.

 

[666]

Oh dear, comparing Babcock's teams and style to the past is absurd. Other than a couple of years in Anaheim Babcock's only been successful with Lidstrom or Team Canada. It's no coincidence that Babcock's team stopped being great when Lidstrom stopped.

If we don't get a #1 D soon we are going to be in trouble with Babcock especially when we start making the playoffs as Babcock's record in the playoffs is pretty disappointing without a stacked team and Lidstrom.

 

[Leafsman]

I see the team playing more like the Hawks than say the Kings.

There will be a tight defensive system that relies on highly skilled forwards to control the puck - no dump and chase, ect.

I'm seeing Chicago meets Boston style of play.

Edit: To clarify I'm talking Boston a few years ago

There is a pretty good breakdown of his system with videos here: https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/05/26/exploring-mike-babcocks-systems/

It's an old article but still relevant here.

VERY RELEVANT!!! Thanks for digging that up! Great insight in that article! Appreciate it

 

[saltming]

I'm seeing Chicago meets Boston style of play.

Edit: To clarify I'm talking Boston a few years ago



VERY RELEVANT!!! Thanks for digging that up! Great insight in that article! Appreciate it

You're welcome.
I really like the way they use the video to fully illustrate the tank tactics.

 

[Purity*]

Quick transition, controlled zone entries, relentless forecheck, and an emphasis on minimal time spent in the defensive zone. If you ain't backchecking, you ain't playing. Babcock is always persistent in preaching his forwards to stay in motion.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Oh dear, comparing Babcock's teams and style to the past is absurd. Other than a couple of years in Anaheim Babcock's only been successful with Lidstrom or Team Canada. It's no coincidence that Babcock's team stopped being great when Lidstrom stopped.

If we don't get a #1 D soon we are going to be in trouble with Babcock especially when we start making the playoffs as Babcock's record in the playoffs is pretty disappointing without a stacked team and Lidstrom.

Are there coaches who've found success in this league without great players?

Stanley Cup champions in the past 8-9 years have all had all-time players on their rosters. You're a fool if you think Babcock will lead this team to success without one of those sort of players.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Detroit in 2006-2010

 

[Swervin81]

Oh dear, comparing Babcock's teams and style to the past is absurd. Other than a couple of years in Anaheim Babcock's only been successful with Lidstrom or Team Canada. It's no coincidence that Babcock's team stopped being great when Lidstrom stopped.

If we don't get a #1 D soon we are going to be in trouble with Babcock especially when we start making the playoffs as Babcock's record in the playoffs is pretty disappointing without a stacked team and Lidstrom.

You need great players to have a great team? Thanks, Magic Johnson. Truly an earth shattering revelation.

 

[TheProspector]

There is a pretty good breakdown of his system with videos here: https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/05/26/exploring-mike-babcocks-systems/

It's an old article but still relevant here.

Everyone says Babcock doesn't like dump and chase, but he practised it more and more as the high end talent on his Detroit rosters declined, and his Leafs team definitely played it. I hate it. And Matt Martin won't improve on that.

 

[TheProspector]

Oh dear, comparing Babcock's teams and style to the past is absurd. Other than a couple of years in Anaheim Babcock's only been successful with Lidstrom or Team Canada. It's no coincidence that Babcock's team stopped being great when Lidstrom stopped.

If we don't get a #1 D soon we are going to be in trouble with Babcock especially when we start making the playoffs as Babcock's record in the playoffs is pretty disappointing without a stacked team and Lidstrom.

Much like the other replies to your post, it seems obvious that great teams have great players.

But did this year's Penguins have a great d corps? No, not really. And Babcock seems to have a really special ability to massively outperform paper expectations from a roster, and in particular, from a pretty weak D corps. His defenceman have actually been **** post-Lidstrom, yet he still makes the playoffs, and his teams still compete hard, and often lose in the playoffs against the eventual conference of cup champion.

 

[saltming]

Everyone says Babcock doesn't like dump and chase, but he practised it more and more as the high end talent on his Detroit rosters declined, and his Leafs team definitely played it. I hate it. And Matt Martin won't improve on that.

Yup but I see that as coaching to your players talent levels that he has, the question is how do you envision the future playing style.

 

[Primary Assist]

Obnoxious. If we dont like what see we circle back and wait til we get an opening. Or we chip and chase it if the pressure is on and theres no other option. Then we find the open slot and bury it. But our skill guys can also exploit that open seam and skate it in for a swift wrister.

In the d zone everything goes into the corners or the glass. If we're locked in then our dmen make the attacking team shoot the puck into Ando's chest.

Oh and if we dont like you we punch you in the mouth.

 

[Leafsman]

Everyone says Babcock doesn't like dump and chase, but he practised it more and more as the high end talent on his Detroit rosters declined, and his Leafs team definitely played it. I hate it. And Matt Martin won't improve on that.

Why wouldn't he?

He has great defensive advanced stats.

I see him causing alot of turnovers!