Last year was the Detroit Red Wings first season in Coach Derek Lalonde\u2019s system, and it provided mixed results. The Red Wings improved in many areas from the previous season, but still not enough to make real noise in the playoff race. The team enters year two in Derek Lalonde\u2019s system with a better idea of the type of hockey he wants to play, but what does that style of hockey look like?<\/p>\n
The biggest reason for the Red Wings improvement last season was improved defence, especially when it came to blowouts. The Red Wings were on the wrong end of a rout too many times under previous coach Jeff Blashill, which changed in Lalonde\u2019s system. The team dropped their goals against from 310 in 2021-2022 to 275 in Lalonde\u2019s first season, nearly half a goal less per game. Playing low-event hockey is a big reason for this, as evidenced in the graphic of the tweet below.<\/p>\n
\nreunited and it feels so good pic.twitter.com\/hwqd8OVbxn<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The Red Wings blueline<\/a> is not the focus of that image, but it shows how Lalonde prioritizes low-event hockey. Of course, the next step will be turning solid defence into offence, which is something that has helped the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a>, Lalonde\u2019s past team, to postseason success.<\/p>\n
Offensive Style of Derek Lalonde\u2019s System<\/h3>\n
Watching your team play against the Lightning over the past few years has often been miserable, and the team\u2019s forechecking is a major reason why. Tampa Bay has created chaos for opposing teams with how quickly they get to pucks in the offensive zone, which leads to better scoring chances and more ways for each player\u2019s offence to shine. The mix of low-event and forechecking showed with the dump-and-chase tactics that the Red Wings used in Derek Lalonde\u2019s system last year. Dump and chase isn\u2019t always fun to watch, but it did see the Red Wings improve their offence last year, and it could help new players like Alex DeBrincat<\/a> find more scoring opportunities.<\/p>\n
How a Deeper Roster Helps Implement the System<\/h3>\n
Depth provides all sorts of advantages and one of the main ones is that you can trust the bottom six lines against the top six of other teams. It\u2019s easier to trust a player like J.T. Compher<\/a> against top lines than it is a player like Pius Suter<\/a>. This allows for better matchups for the Red Wings top six, including more offensive zone time that should, hypothetically, lead to more goals. Adding players like Klim Kostin<\/a>, Compher, and Daniel Sprong<\/a> makes driving the team’s offence easier for Alex DeBrincat<\/a>, Lucas Raymond<\/a>, and Dylan Larkin<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Predicting Derek Lalonde\u2019s System for 2023-24<\/h3>\n
An improved roster and more experience in Lalonde\u2019s system should see the Red Wings continue to grow as a team. The coach is sure to continue to focus on the right offensive zone habits as he does in this clip about Steven Stamkos<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nFor all my Red Wings fans out there…<\/p>\n
New Head Coach Derek Lalonde spoke at our Hockey Think Tank conference a few years ago on coaching the best players in the world. He was awesome. Here he talks about Steven Stamkos<\/a>‘ gritty habits leading to his offence.<\/p>\n