Last season was one to forget for the New Jersey Devils, after a blockbuster trade for Ilya Kovalchuk never panned out and the team’s star players clashed with the coach and the playing system. While we’ll never know exactly what happened between Jamie Langenbrunner and Jacques Lemaire, there’s no doubt that the team’s early demise in the playoffs were due in part to an outdated defensive system.
Zach Parise, for one, hopes that changes with new coach John MacLean. From Rich Chere of The Star Ledger:
“He’s younger so hopefully he’ll bring some new ideas and some changes. Because we need it.”
MacLean, 45, spoke of getting back to Devils hockey. I asked Parise what he thought that might be.
“Who knows? I sure hope he brings more offense, more of an aggressive style,” he said. “I hope we play a more aggressive, puck-possession style. You look at the teams in the (Stanley Cup) finals and that’s the way winning teams play. They’re a lot more aggressive.”
The Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers both proved this year that teams can be solid defensively and yet still play an uptempo and aggressive offensive system. The question is whether GM Lou Lamoriello will give MacLean the go ahead to instill whatever system he feels is best.