A Sportsnet contributor specializing in the strategic aspect of hockey – the famous X’s and O’s on the board – firmly believes that the Montreal Canadiens and their head coach Martin St-Louis must consider changing the system of play.
Expert Andrew Brewer understands why St. Louis made changes to its system by advocating a hybrid defensive coverage between man-for-man and zone coverage this season.
“This system has been used by four of the last five Stanley Cup champions,” notes the expert.
However, the CH system is exploited by opposing teams, who have a field day taking advantage of the CH’s moments of hesitation during the transition between the two coverage schemes.
St-Louis’ hybrid schemes force CH’s smaller attackers to battle with opposing defenders much larger than them. Also, forward players are much more often exposed to one-on-one situations against stars from the other team such as Jack Hughes, who had a lot of fun at the Canadiens’ expense on Thursday night.
“Returning to defensive zone coverage would allow the Canadiens to better protect the slot, something they had a lot of difficulty doing,” Andrew Brewer said. Zone coverage would bring center players and defenders closer to the net. And generally, players playing in this position have more defensive skills.
Still according to the expert, the CH would benefit from taking inspiration from a rival from the Atlantic section. The Toronto Maple Leafs advocated hybrid coverage under the orders of Sheldon Keefe, while the new sheriff in the Queen City, Craig Berube, returned to zone coverage, the one that smiled on his St. Louis Blues in 2019 .
The Edmonton Oilers also reportedly made such an adjustment to their coverage last season. The Alberta team bounced back after a sluggish start to the season and reached the Stanley Cup final.
CH head coach, Martin St-Louis, seems for the moment opposed to the idea of changing the system. He himself conceded that he could offer something simpler to his players, but he believes the change will pay off in the long run.
After a 5-3 defeat against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday evening, St-Louis was also optimistic.
