New York Islanders Daily: Barry Trotz Talks Offensive Strategy
Barry Trotz did a question and answer with Arthur Staple. They spoke about his past and his plans with the New York Islanders going forward.
For the first time in their history, the New York Islanders went out and paid for a proven head coach in the NHL. Barry Trotz, fresh off his Stanley Cup win, is now the Islanders bench boss for the foreseeable future.
It still hasn’t quite sunk in yet. I think mostly because the focus this summer has been on losing John Tavares, Barry Trotz’s hiring has been a bit of an afterthought.
Trotz is going to have a big impact on the team, that’s a given. He’s a defensive minded coach, something the Islanders need, and he’s had proven success in Nashville and Washington. He spoke with Arthur Staple yesterday and some of his philosophy really stood out.
For me, it was his take on analytics and shots on goal. Last year Washington was last in shots on goal but tied for first in shooting percentage. That was done purposely. Trotz preaches finding good scoring chances rather than aimlessly throwing pucks on net.
A lot of people put a lot of value in analytics into shots on goal, or shot attempts. I put more value on quality shots. It’s like quality chances vs. regular scoring chances. An unscreened shot from the blue line goes in maybe one percent of the time. If you get into the hash marks, below the circles, lateral plays, they go up to 20, 30, 40, 50 percent. I’d rather have one 40-percenter than 40 one-percenters.
What he’s saying here makes a ton of sense. The Islanders offense might look a little different, which we weren’t necessarily expecting, and that’s completly okay. Trotz has me buying into these new schemes and ideology. It might not show right away but down the line, it’s going to pay dividends.
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