New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe and forwards Curtis Lazar and Tomas Tatar speak about the importance of players embracing their roles on the team.
New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe and forwards Curtis Lazar and Tomas Tatar speak about the importance of players embracing their roles on the team.
The importance of different roles on an NHL team cannot be understated.
Every New Jersey Devils player has a different responsibility, whether it is killing penalties, scoring goals, winning face-offs, or running the power play.
Ice time might vary, but head coach Sheldon Keefe knows each player has a crucial role.
"Every player is important," Keefe told The Hockey News. "We have seen it already. How important the depth has been for our group. Guys coming in to step up (because of) injuries and playing more than maybe you thought they would. I look at someone like Johnathan Kovacevic as an example, or look at how important the penalty kill has been for us and what guys like (Curtis) Lazar and (Nathan) Bastian and what they have given us."
Understanding that every player wants to know their role and where their value is, the question becomes what happens when a situation arises where how a player sees himself and the role he wants does not align with what the coaching staff and team need of him.
"I think it is fair to say that happens quite frequently," Keefe said.
One player who experienced and grew through this very situation is veteran forward Curtis Lazar.
"That was the beginning of my career," Lazar told The Hockey News. "It is difficult. First and foremost, you want to help the team win, so whatever role the staff wants you in, you are going to do it.
"I know for myself that when I started in the NHL at 19 years old, a first-round pick, I wanted to score," he continued. "Then, you initially start on the fourth line - a checking role. In that kind of role, you don't get as many puck touches and whatnot. There is a fine line because you want to stay true to who you are and what you can contribute, but I think the role is the most important thing."
It is up to Keefe to determine where players should be in the lineup and what role they should be tasked with.
"That is a big part of the job," he said. "The reality is when you are at the NHL level, you end up coaching players that, for the most part, have always been the best player on their team their entire life, and in many cases in the American Hockey Leauge (as well) or they get drafted extremely high. Then they come in, and the same type of role or opportunity is not available, or maybe they are not able to play that role.
"Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses," he continued. "It is on the coach to slot them into the appropriate spot. You talk them through it (and) make them understand it."
While Keefe figures out how to get the best out of his players, it is up to the individual to understand that the team needs to come ahead of their own wants.
"It is not an easy situation," Tomas Tatar said. "I think you should always put the team first. If you are required to do maybe a different job than you thought you would be doing, for the sake of the team, especially when they are doing well, you should adapt."
"Every player now is able to adapt," Lazar said. "They can move up and down the lineup and have different tools, but it can be tough."
That ability to adapt and put the team before themselves impresses the coaching staff and earns the respect of his teammates in the locker room.
On Friday, Keefe will prepare his team to play the New York Islanders at Prudential Center. With his team on a three-game losing streak, we will see if he and his staff adjust his lineup or keep his players in their familiar roles.
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