What on earth happened to this team's offense?

[Reddawg]

I love the room. Please don't mock it.

Never forget, we built that locker room for Brad Richards

 

[paulmm3]

Excellent comments in this thread. This is indeed one of the most contact averse groups of hockey players I have ever seen. Manifest in issues with the cycle, lack of effort getting to the middle, poor defense from the forwards, etc. Dustin Brown was a couple years off from me at the same high school so I know his game a bit and what he brought is what we need to have more success and what we lack.

I don't know what coaching can do about the problem. I see little bits of this problem with the Bills too and wonder if some of it is Pegula drafting influence. I don't want to pull out the "nice guys finish last" cliche but that's a bit of what I'm seeing.

 

[Faceboner]

Part of it is a carryover from the issues last year - they do not do a good job of creating off the cycle. They don't cycle much and didn't, but they were a very good team off the rush last year. This year, their chances aren't falling on rush plays at the same rate and I would assert their issues with cycle/settled offense have been even worse.

Our zone play is sloppy we can't just rely on transition game anymore we need to play harder be chippier and establish a forecheck and win board battles

 

[Chainshot]

Our zone play is sloppy we can't just rely on transition game anymore we need to play harder be chippier and establish a forecheck and win board battles

That requires players willing to do that. They haven't shown they are willing to do it.