The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood discusses the Red Wings coaching staff’s decision to move Alex DeBrincat from the left wing on the power play to the “bumper” position, which seems to have suited #93 well:
“It’s a little different,” DeBrincat told The Hockey News after Thursday’s morning skate. “I think it takes a little bit of time to get used to, but it’s not a big deal. I think a lot of different guys can play a lot of different positions, so wherever they need me, I’ll play and try to do my best at it.”
Why did Lalonde do this? It’s easiest to see this as a demotion for DeBrincat. After all, a shooter of his caliber belongs on the flank, where he can get shots off easily. That’s where he scored one of his two goals in Thursday’s home opener, the other of which was a near identical one-timer at even strength.
Such a simplistic perspective ignores the way that Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde values his bumper position. At a presentation at TCS Live in July 2023, Lalonde included bumper support as one of the four priorities that he and assistant coaches Alex Tanguay and Jay Varady identified.
An effective bumper serves as support to extend a penalty kill, supporting a pressured puck carrier and maintaining possession, as well as providing another scoring threat. Whereas the point player might be seen as the last line to keep a power play in the zone, it’s just as much a responsibility of the bumper to anticipate where he needs to support.
It’s under this philosophy that evolving the shot-first DeBrincat into a playmaking role is novel. And looking at how it all played out in Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins — when the power play was one of the few bright spots — the effects are noticeable.
Continued; this is an interesting thought experiment.
