NHL GM claims “defense isn't about defending.”

One National Hockey League general manager is taking a different approach to his defensive philosophy and he's not shy about openly discussing the direction he wants to take his team in.

In a recent interview with NHL.com's Dan Rosen, Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka, an analytics guru and the youngest general manager in the league's history, stated his belief that defense isn't all about defending.

"The philosophy is fairly simple. It's when we don't have the puck, recover the puck as quickly as possible. There are all kinds of different forms where you can gain possession of the puck, some of them are physical and some of them are non-physical, so I think you need a blend to have both. Once you get the puck back it's to transition the puck. Defense isn't about defending, it's about getting the puck in the forwards' hands and getting the puck moving into the offensive zone. It's about transitioning. That's the philosophy and that's been the theme behind the moves that we're making, let's get players who can get pucks back and get pucks up to forwards in an efficient and effective manner."

With a core of young defensemen like Oliver Ekman-Larsson he's going to get a chance to put his philosophy to the test, and the recent addition of a player like Luke Schenn could help him achieve that end. While Schenn has shown some deficiencies and is likely a bottom pairing defenseman in Arizona, he does have a strong first pass, which fits with Chayka's vision.

[pub]