Hockey Is Becoming Progressive
Years behind their major sports league counterparts, the NHL is a progressive moving sport.
Possession and other metrics that are gradually becoming more accepted across the league are a real thing. They aren’t imaginary and they do have an impact on the outcome of a hockey game.
Under Burke and Nonis anything progressive was non-sense and not required.
Shanahan knows this and that’s evident by some of his hires (Dubas, among others). He also knows that this way of analyzing the game is only one piece of the puzzle; it’s not the be-all, end-all, which is also evident by some hirings (Lamoriello).
There’s a balance that needs to be achieved, especially while the numbers become more accepted across the board, and Shanahan has seemingly found it.
You can’t outrun the inevitable. Eventually, playing bad hockey catches up with you – even if it gets you in the playoffs (Colorado, I’m looking at you).
Goons are gone, skill players are more plentiful. The game has changed and it’s changed for the better. The top six is going to be archaic soon enough, if it isn’t already, in exchange for a top nine.
Head hunting defenders who move a snails pace are irrelevant, while puck moving defenders are the prize catch.
Next: World Cup Of Hockey Predictions
Today’s game starts with puck movement from the back-end. If you don’t have it, you’re probably not going to like your results.
These are all things that the new group recognizes and is an important lesson to take away from the failures of recent past.
The future is bright in Toronto not only because of the prospects in the pipeline, but also because of the well-rounded people running the franchise.