This Edmonton Oilers defenseman looked incredible last night.
The Edmonton Oilers are starting to look like a playoff team. Connor McDavid looks like he's on a mission to single handedly bring the Oilers into a playoff position.
The main issues with the team have been defense and goaltending. While Stuart Skinner has looked better - he still needs to be more consistent from game to game.
On the other hand the defense looks vastly improved, what caused the boost?
Paul Coffey.
Numerous players have spoken about how Coffey's philosophy when it comes to defensemen. He wants them to play with pace, to skate and always be making plays. Don't force a play, but try to always make something happen.
You saw that with Cody Ceci last night. Instead of dumping it in or chipping the puck along the boards. He was either making a pass to a teammate or taking the puck into the zone.
Ceci also looked faster than he usually is. This makes sense to me for one reason - if you always know what you are going to do with the puck before you get it, that's huge.
If you develop the mindset of always passing or carrying the puck, you only ever have two options in your mind for every play. That way you can assess the situation much faster and react quicker.
By simplifying the game, Ceci has become a better defenseman.
Fans have Coffey to thank for that.
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