OOTS

[Fred]

Regarding TB tactics. They have a high quality skilled and great scorers on the team and yet in the game against Philly from the first drop of the puck went to the 1-3-1. The question is with the Sedins and Kesler would you think it would be good for the Canucks to serve the same style of play

[Rumsfeld]

Regarding TB tactics. They have a high quality skilled and great scorers on the team and yet in the game against Philly from the first drop of the puck went to the 1-3-1. The question is with the Sedins and Kesler would you think it would be good for the Canucks to serve the same style of play

No.

Our team is built on a puck-possession system with an aggressive forecheck when we don't have the puck. We would be letting teams off the hook if the likes of Kesler, Burrows and Hansen abandoned their tenacious forechecking skills and allowed teams to carry the puck into the neutral zone unmolested. Malhotra's poor conditioning and the absence of Raymond have made us a weaker team in that area so far this season.

All playoff teams need to know how to emply a one-man forecheck at times, but since the lockout teams with a high skill level that play an aggressive system have been far more successful than those who have sat back.

[Fred]

TB has Stamkos, St Louis, Lecavalier and Hedman all comparible to the Canucks roster. So why will the league not want to showcase those skilled player as do the Canuck showcase their skilled players. TB can also play a up tempo game if they want to

13 of 19 league GM's found TB to be the embarrassing cause in a poll by TSN McKenzie

[Rumsfeld]

TB has Stamkos, St Louis, Lecavalier and Hedman all comparible to the Canucks roster. So why will the league not want to showcase those skilled player as do the Canuck showcase their skilled players. TB can also play a up tempo game if they want to

13 of 19 league GM's found TB to be the embarrassing cause in a poll by TSN McKenzie

I'm not privy to the inner machinations of the NHL head office, but they have obviously taken steps every season to increase the tempo and offensive output of their games. That said, the league can only do so much to influence the style of play to a more upbeat one. If teams wish to attempt to exploit aggressive systems with a trap, that is their prerogative.

As I already stated, it is a far less effective strategy than it was six years ago. The top teams in the West the past few seasons have been the Wings, Hawks, Canucks and Sharks, all of which employ an aggressive strategy most of the time.

The NFL is the most successful North American sports league, and it has its share of low-scoring defensive teams as well. It hasn't hurt their popularity. I'm not particularly concerned about a return to the dead puck era because I see no evidence that it's the system most conducive to winning in today's NHL.

[dbr]

TB has Stamkos, St Louis, Lecavalier and Hedman all comparible to the Canucks roster. So why will the league not want to showcase those skilled player as do the Canuck showcase their skilled players. TB can also play a up tempo game if they want to

They did not have Hedman in the lineup, nor did they have Ohlund.

Stamkos, St. Louis and Lecavalier are all exciting scorers but as forwards they are not the weakness that Tampa's defensive strategy is trying to protect. Anyway it hardly inhibits their ability to produce offense (evidenced by the fact that two of them were in the league's top five scorers last year)..

[Fred]

The Canucks have run into injured prominent D a number of times but I don't see them duplicating TB system

[Rumsfeld]

[Potatoe1]

Yeah, I"m not sure what to say either....

[mathonwy]

Ummm.. *mellow*

[Fred]

Yeah, I"m not sure what to say either....

Am I missing some thing ?

[Rumsfeld]

I fear that's a distinct possibility.

[Potatoe1]

Yeah, I"m not sure what to say either....

Am I missing some thing ?

The Canucks have spent 3 years building a team with the personnel to play an puck position, offensive system.

Everything from their drafting, development, free agent acquisitions and contract renewals were made with their current system and style in mind.

Do you honestly think that GMMG is going to wake up one morning and decide we need to play a hard 1-3-1 like Tampa?

[Fred]

Of course not!!! But TB has the same opportunity as Vcr which direction they wish to go. . With the star power the likes of Stamkos et al should TB be waking up one morning and think lets play a 1-3-1. TB has a lot of top end talent. Every one shapes their team each summer, and that includes TB. I would have thought they were in an ideal situation to play a fast attacking game....just like Vcr does. What's good for one is good fro all.

It seems to me like there's different rules being applied here. TB has made it's choice and it suck IMO, Vcr made it's choice and I like it. But both had the same opportunity.

[Potatoe1]

Of course not!!! But TB has the same opportunity as Vcr which direction they wish to go. . With the star power the likes of Stamkos et al should TB be waking up one morning and think lets play a 1-3-1. TB has a lot of top end talent. Every one shapes their team each summer, and that includes TB. I would have thought they were in an ideal situation to play a fast attacking game....just like Vcr does. What's good for one is good fro all.

It seems to me like there's different rules being applied here. TB has made it's choice and it suck IMO, Vcr made it's choice and I like it. But both had the same opportunity.

Tampa has an absolutely terrible blue line that lacks mobility and puck moving ability. They would get absolutely slaughtered if they tried to play a puck possession system like the Canucks.

They play the 1-3-1 because it de-emphasizes 1 on 1 defensive transition plays, where their slow footed group would be exposed.

Their high end forward talent thrives on the power play and by counter attacking off neutral zone turn overs.

Their big, under skilled, defenseman don't have to defend much in transition and instead can collaps to the net and battle in the trenches.

Their system works for their team, it would be terrible for our team.

[Rumsfeld]

I guess there's also the wild notion that different coaches and different people have different philosophies, hence the reality that not every team is identical in regard to system play.

And just for the record, when our D was decimated the past few seasons AV DID tighten things up significantly. And in '06/07 and much of '08, before our team had as much offensive talent, we played a style not that dissimilar to Tampa's.