Pros and cons of using seven defensemen

Adam McQuaid will soon return to the lineup for the Boston Bruins, and when the veteran defenseman is cleared for game action, coach Bruce Cassidy will have another tough decision.

It’s always good for a coach to have options, which means the players are healthy and the team is successful. The Bruins have won eight of the last 10 games, and while McQuaid’s return isn’t imminent, he’s not that far off.

That means Boston’s improved and productive blue line will have another weapon at its disposal. It also becomes a numbers game. With everyone healthy on the blue line, the Bruins have Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo, Kevan Miller, Matt Grzelcyk, McQuaid and Paul Postma.

When McQuaid is activated, and if the Bruins decide not to carry eight defensemen, Postma would have to clear waivers if sent to Providence. Grzelcyk could be sent down, but he’s earned the opportunity to remain in the lineup. He’s been a solid puck-moving defenseman and has made contributions at both ends of the ice and on the power play.

“Let’s go with eight,” Chara said with a smile. The captain also said it doesn’t matter to him how many defensemen are in the lineup, because they’re all used to working with different partners. The idea of playing less isn’t an issue for Chara either.

As far as playing with seven defensemen and 11 forwards, Cassidy has done it twice this season against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning. It worked both times and resulted in 4-3 and 3-2 wins, respectively.

Decisions both times were situational. Krug had missed three games with an injury, so given his skill set, especially on the power play, Cassidy was able to use seven defensemen successful in the defenseman’s first game back against the Penguins.

By using an extra defenseman, it means a coach will double-shift a winger. Not every forward is capable of those extra minutes and sometimes it can be a challenge to find the right chemistry between an elite player and a forward in the bottom six.

In one of the games Cassidy used 11/7, he had David Pastrnak double-shifting with Riley Nash at center and Ryan Spooner on the left side. That trio worked well together because Pastrnak and Spooner complemented each other well.

The other reason to double-shift a top-six forward is when a team needs added offense against a highly skilled offensive opponent. It adds up to about 10-12 minutes of ice time per game a coach has to account for if he only has 11 forwards. He has to figure out what’s the best way to distribute those minutes. Would he rather give it to a skilled player, or someone who could be a healthy scratch?

The other aspect is the schedule. A coach has to consider the opponent and if the team is playing back-to-back games. In order to benefit from the seven-D decision, a team needs a fresh group of 11 forwards.

From a defensive side, these players are proud and don’t want their minutes cut with a seven-man rotation. When McQuaid returns, if Cassidy decides to go with the extra blueliner full-time, it would likely have more of an impact on the power play. Krug and Grzelcyk are best suited when they’re up top on the power play, but if one of them could play the half wall, which they could if needed, Cassidy could decide to go with seven defensemen.

On the defensive side of the penalty kill, without McQuaid in the mix, the Bruins are a little vulnerable if Chara takes a penalty. The Bruins are trying to manage McAvoy’s minutes properly and that’s why he not on the PK. At some point, he will be a member of that unit because he’s too good a player not to have him there. Maybe that occurs when McQuaid is back in the lineup.

Another reason a coach would decide to go with seven D is if one of those defensemen were a better offensive option than a bottom-six forward. If a team has an established third and fourth line, the seven-D scenario is a moot point. For example: When the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011, then-coach Claude Julien had Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley and Michael Ryder has the third unit, while Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton comprised the fourth line. That bottom-six was one of the major reasons the Bruins won a championship.

So far this season, Cassidy hasn’t had a consistent bottom six, which has a lot to do with all the injuries and the inconsistent play by some of the forwards that have found themselves as healthy scratches, including Frank Vatrano and Matt Beleskey. Ryan Spooner also fits in that category, but because he’s a power-play specialist,he finds himself in the lineup.

This scenario makes one wonder why more coaches don’t play with the 11/7. There’s got to be a way to play some sort of hybrid game where a team can use three defensemen and two forwards on the ice during a normal 5-on-5 situation. We’re not trying to re-invent the game here, but it’s evident the game is changing and it won’t be long before this could become part of the NHL’s X’s and O’s.

Both times when Cassidy used seven defensemen, he never had three on the ice at the same time. Current Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher had it work when he was coaching the Lightning in 2011 with defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron on the power play, or if Tampa was behind in a game. He didn’t play much during 5-on-5 but it was a threat on special teams.

Current Lightning coach Jon Cooper is a proponent of using seven D. In fact, when Cooper was coaching the Norfolk Admirals, Tampa’s AHL affiliate, the team posted a 28-game winning streak in 2012 with the 11/7 philosophy. He’s run the same systems in the NHL, including in the playoffs.

With the way the NHL is trending with more offensive-minded defensemen, that hybrid type of player could be the wave of the future. Here’s why: Not many forwards are good backwards skaters. This hybrid player would have to be an excellent skater in every aspect, including crossovers, pivots and a strong ability to skate backwards.

For example: Senators’ Erik Karlsson would be the perfect type of player to handle both positions successfully. His style could serve as the prototype.

At some point, this type of player will become the norm in North America. There was always this mindset that skating could not be taught; you were either a natural skater, or you were not. Now, teams and organizations at every level have personal skating and skills coaches. That’s one reason there’s an influx of puck-moving defensemen at the pro level. The NHL game has become faster and the improvement in skating is one reason for the increased speed.

Maybe a coach, or future bench boss, will come up with a 2-1-2 system with the hybrid player, or “sweeper” would have an impact at both ends.

“I think you’re probably going to see that more often in modern hockey,” Chara said. “You’re going to have guys that can play both. It’s not very uncommon, especially in Europe.”

With so many teams in the NHL playing man-to-man, there is a way to play with three defensemen and still have success. That third defenseman would have to be a highly skilled offensive-minded player in order for it to work.

If the Bruins played man-to-man in D-zone coverage, and the defensemen were used to it, it would be a no-brainer to have three D on the ice. The Bruins don’t play that style because the layered system works best in Boston’s systems. The last thing a team needs is its defensemen running around their own end and wasting energy when it’s not needed. That’s why an elite two-way centerman like Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci is so vital to the team’s success.

Grzelcyk was asked, if needed, could be play forward. He admitted it’s something he’s really never thought about but the hybrid system is an interesting idea. It would be tough for a current NHL defenseman, who has spent the majority of his career in that position, to suddenly make the switch.

“The hardest thing would be knowing where to be on the ice,” admitted Grzelcyk. “It sounds really simple, but you’re so used to being down low and below the dots in the D-zone, but if you were up higher and looking back in the zone, it could make you a little more nervous not knowing where the D is behind you, especially with how mobile the defensemen are in this day and age.”

Chara agreed that it would be a challenge for a current player to make the switch.

“I don’t think it’s easy for defensemen to go and just start playing forward,” he said. “Unless you’re really offensive-minded and have the soft hands, it’s hard. You have to practice those routes, those plays, the little things like give-and-goes. Most of the time (defensemen) are focused on making a good first pass.”

Forwards have the time to become more creative, so if they lose the puck there are layers of defense behind them. Defensemen are the second-to-last line of defense before the goalie, so there’s almost zero creativity.

This is a case of the present vs. the future. The Bruins could use seven defensemen as the game is currently constituted, but imagine a game with a hybrid-type player. It could certainly add offense at both ends of the ice.