Why did Monty change the defensive scheme and any precedent for Jiricek getting called up?

[blackinkbiz]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Bannister play a man-to-man defensive scheme which wasn't doing well, then Monty changed it to a flood-the-middle zone which prevented a lot of shots from getting through last season and also helped the transition game. But, for some reason, Blues are now back to playing man-to-man coverage which puts more defensive responsibility on our centers which hurts the transition and thus offense.

I've been distracted by outside factors this season and didn't even really notice this until last night when I saw Mailloux unsuccessfully chase his man to the blue line which opened up the seam for Bolduc to slide the pass which led to Habs' first goal.

If my memory serves me correctly, when and why did they switch to man-to-man this season?

And on the defensive note, Jirichek is KILLING it in the OHL, with 10 goals and 19 assists which basically makes him one of the top-3 Dmen in the OHL this season. Any precedent for someone in his shoes getting called up this soon if we keep needing help with that final dman spot?

[tfriede2]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Bannister play a man-to-man defensive scheme which wasn't doing well, then Monty changed it to a flood-the-middle zone which prevented a lot of shots from getting through last season and also helped the transition game. But, for some reason, Blues are now back to playing man-to-man coverage which puts more defensive responsibility on our centers which hurts the transition and thus offense.

I've been distracted by outside factors this season and didn't even really notice this until last night when I saw Mailloux unsuccessfully chase his man to the blue line which opened up the seam for Bolduc to slide the pass which led to Habs' first goal.

If my memory serves me correctly, when and why did they switch to man-to-man this season?

And on the defensive note, Jirichek is KILLING it in the OHL, with 10 goals and 19 assists which basically makes him one of the top-3 Dmen in the OHL this season. Any precedent for someone in his shoes getting called up this soon if we keep needing help with that final dman spot?

Zero precedent - he’s ineligible to be called up until after his junior season is over.

[John Cocktoastin]

Sorry. No answers to your questions specifically, but a recent article on Jiricek points out his recent accolades. But also the work he's put in to get ready for the NHL. 20 pounds to play "mens hockey." He's doing everything necessary to be prepared once he gets here...

Overall this season there’s been a sharp change in Jiricek’s game. He put on some weight in the off-season making his overall physicality noticeable, witnessed on Wednesday by a massive hit on Kingston’s Tyler Hopkins midway through the third period.

“I had a full summer to work on it,” said Jiricek, who put on about 20 pounds in the off-season and who is listed at six-foot-three and 185 pounds.

“It was my goal to gain some weight because I need to play men’s hockey. It’s a bit hard to keep it (during the season) but I’m trying my best, working very hard off the ice.”

[Ziggy3]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Bannister play a man-to-man defensive scheme which wasn't doing well, then Monty changed it to a flood-the-middle zone which prevented a lot of shots from getting through last season and also helped the transition game. But, for some reason, Blues are now back to playing man-to-man coverage which puts more defensive responsibility on our centers which hurts the transition and thus offense.

I've been distracted by outside factors this season and didn't even really notice this until last night when I saw Mailloux unsuccessfully chase his man to the blue line which opened up the seam for Bolduc to slide the pass which led to Habs' first goal.

If my memory serves me correctly, when and why did they switch to man-to-man this season?

And on the defensive note, Jirichek is KILLING it in the OHL, with 10 goals and 19 assists which basically makes him one of the top-3 Dmen in the OHL this season. Any precedent for someone in his shoes getting called up this soon if we keep needing help with that final dman spot?

I'm not really astute enough an observer to tell exactly what type of system they're trying to run, but I do remember hearing what you're talking about re: Bannister vs. Monty. And I think we now have a little of a pattern with this team and its coaches; new coach comes in on the fly, presumably keeps the strategy simple, positive results ensue (VERY positive in the case of Monty). Then they get an offseason and preseason to implement more strategy, team comes out of the gates looking lost. Really makes me wonder if there's some quirk to the core of this team that coaches have a hard time figuring out, especially if it runs counter to their typical philosophy. I have a hard time believing effort is the only factor for the extreme ups and downs these past few seasons.