Brand new New York Rangers head coach David Quinn was hired and immediately underwent the standard press tour, mostly touting his ability to develop young talent, connect with players on an individual basis, and coach an “up-tempo” style of hockey.
But “up-tempo” can mean different things in different situations. Indeed, Alain Vigneault preached a similar credo, and it led to a brief resurgence for speedy players like Michael Grabner.
Vigneault’s system was built around a hybrid zone/man-to-man defensive scheme that would easily transition into odd-man rushes on offense. The result was a high-scoring Rangers team that routinely produced high danger rush chances, but was more often pinned deep in the defensive zone while opponents possessed the puck.