Pavel Datsyuk will go down as one of the most talented, creative hockey players to ever skate in the NHL. Now that he’s skating in the KHL, Datsyuk took some time to reflect on his career in the NHL and the current state of the game inside the league.
[link_box id=”22277″ site_id=”17″ layout=”link-box-third” alignment=”alignright”]Specifically, Datsyuk pointed out to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the NHL heavily leans on systems and that strips out the creativity from even the most talented player.
“There are not many creative players now. It’s less and less every year. There’s lots of talent, but teams are playing more systems.”
It’s not that there aren’t creative players in the NHL. Instead, teams have placed such a big focus on systems that players don’t have the freedom to try their own ideas. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something worth noting.
Datsyuk has pointed out that the NHL is a lot different now compared to when he started his career.
“Hockey is so different now. With the new rules in the NHL, you have to be good defensively. And, if you play fast, you have more time to work offensively.”
Every forward in the modern NHL is expected to be a two-way skater and take responsibility for helping out the defense. That wasn’t always the case in the NHL as the most talented forwards used to be allowed to focus entirely on the offensive side of the game. The end result is a more formal approach rather than the spontaneous creativity Datsyuk seems to miss.
Systems and trends come and go in the NHL.
