How has the new defensive system worked for the Calgary Flames?

(Diagram courtesy of LeagueAthletics.com)

The defensive zone is split into four quadrants. The wingers and defencemen each look after one quadrant. And the centre supports the defencemen in the slot, in front of the net, behind the net, and in the corners. They will pick up open players in those zones who aren’t covered by a defenceman.

The point of playing a zone defence is to limit scoring chances in the slot. In a zone you can do a better job of keeping the opposition to the outside and having defenders between the offensive players and the net.

This system requires a lot of communication between the defending players, particularly the centre and the two defencemen. The centre and the two defencemen are responsible for covering the slot, the most important part of the ice.

One of the negatives that come from playing a zone defence is if you have a lapse in communication, you will leave opposing players open in the slot. And because you’re not as aggressive when checking the opposition, opposing teams are able to spend more time in the offensive zone which can lead to breakdowns by the defending team.

How has the transition worked for the Flames?

It’s early in the 2023-24 season, but let’s compare the numbers from last season to this season to see if the change in system has helped the Flames.

The numbers show that the Flames were one of the best defensive teams in the NHL last season but got horrific goaltending. One of the narratives to come out of last season is that the Flames didn’t give up a lot of scoring chances, but when they did, they were five alarm fires. I don’t buy that one bit. Every team in the NHL gives up their fair share of quality chances against. It’s the NHL. The best players in world can make any team look silly on any night. The Flames gave up the fourth fewest high danger chances at 5-on-5.

It’s pretty surprising that they decided to make such a drastic move to how they play.

The numbers have not been as good as last season, but the Flames have been good defensively according to the numbers. The only stat that’s not in the top half of the NHL is high danger chances against which is 17th, one off being in the top half.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Flames have only played this zone system for one month. There is still time for them to improve upon the results.

The big difference I am seeing is the Flames are giving up more high danger chances this season, in big part due to communication breakdowns between the defencemen and centre. And that’s on the new system. Huska and the coaching staff is going to have to clean up that part of the game if the Flames are going to turn things around and get back into the playoff picture.