New York Rangers: Understanding the difference between zone and man coverage

Part of the New York Rangers’ struggles last season was the impractical use of man to man defense. Now, the team is transitioning to a zone system.

Every coach has a different approach as far as their preferred scheme. The bench boss can either tailor his system to the personnel at his disposal or try to force a round peg into a square hole. Last season, the New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault tried to force the players into a scheme that did not suit their skillset.

New York had 12 different defenseman dress last season. The combination of the injury bug, underperforming expectations and trade deadline moves made the unit a patchwork effort. By the end of the season, the unit was…