Systems are a nebulous concept in hockey. We hear about them from coaches, and players. We grasp the meaning, but the execution can elude fans and analysts alike.
The Dallas Stars had a system under Lindy Ruff. They relied on strong support from the left for zone exits (call it the Jamie Benn effect), and their forecheck was a 2-1-2 formation; a formation that relied on putting pressure on blueliners to be mobile, and creative, eliminating old tactics for countering the forecheck.
But to paraphrase Roger Ebert, systems are not what they’re about, but how they’re about it.