Jack Capuano’s outdated ‘dump and chase’ system is partly to blame for the New York Islanders’ rough start.
Matt O’Leary of Eyes on Isles recently penned an article on why Jack Capuano’s system is to blame for the team’s egregious start.
He’s absolutely correct. Here’s why that’s so:
1. Dump and chase, which is Capuano’s system of choice, is boring and archaic. It makes underperforming teams unwatchable, and isn’t the ideal way to maximize on skill and speed.
2. It requires more physicality and less skill, which is good for a team that has someone like Matt Martin gracing the ice. It should be utilized when using a real cheking line, not one comprised of Andrew Ladd and Nikolai Kulemin.
3. With an increasing emphasis on puck possession and the evolution of advanced statistics, it’s questionable why a team would use such an outdated system. “What’s the purpose of that strategy?” a new hockey fan asked me.
4. Consider this quote from Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise:
“I read a study this summer that showed shots generated off carrying the puck in as opposed to dumping it in, and it’s like 4-to-1. It’s not even close. I just found it so interesting because everyone’s like, ‘Forecheck, forecheck, forecheck.’”
“I get it, but you dump the puck, you have to get it back. All you’re doing is giving the puck away. I mean, it’s so hard to get it, why would you give it away?”
…“But dump it just to dump it, I’m not a believer anymore in getting rid of the puck when it’s so hard to get. That’s the way we played in New Jersey. We always had a plan: Forwards dumped it in, we knew where it was going and that’s how we got it back. But the more I thought about it, possession is just so much better than dumping it in. Dumping it should be, I don’t want to say your last option, but your second or third option.”
