“If you look at different teams and different systems and what works. Carolina plays an all-out press. All four guys are constantly going the whole time. They are the gold standard right now, because they just won the Stanley Cup. So, would that system necessarily work for us?  Would it work for another team?  Maybe not. It’s really important that as a group of PKers and whoever might be out there on the kill, there’s going to be guys that rotate in and out that aren’t consistent, but as the core group of PKers, it’s important that with the coaching staff, we put together a plan that works best for the players. You can implement a system that doesn’t make sense for the guys that you have on the ice and it’s not going to work.

“It’s important that everybody has feedback on what feels right. What they feel like they’re opening up and what’s going to be exposed. The biggest thing is to communicate with the coaches and the players that, ‘Hey, this doesn’t feel right, or this is what’s been working and what I like to do, and these are my tendencies and how it fits in with this system.’

“I’ve played all kinds of systems on the penalty kill. I started with the top-down press. I went to a diamond in Chicago and then we went to more of a hybrid press down with a diamond in Chicago last year. It’s not that one system works, it that the system needs to fit the players.”

“I think having guys like a group of consistent players, like we did in Chicago, where we had four of us that we’re killing together almost every kill, really helps. Just to have some chemistry and being able to build momentum. It takes a little bit to start a season with a group of guys, but finding consistency and continuity is key. That’s why it was tough when we got there (Edmonton) with mixing up our kills (new system) and adding players. You want to build momentum through the details that coaches are bringing.

“And then you ride that, and you just gain that confidence between the goalie and the players on positioning and angles, and you end up getting saves where you should have gotten scored on because goalies know where you’re standing, and you end up getting confidence. Confidence on the penalty kill is similar to the power play. When you have it and trust what you are doing success follows.

Talking with some guys, like Ekky (Ekholm) and Bouch (Bouchard) and even coach Stu (Mark Stuart) about the playoffs, I don’t know if it was last year or the year before they said they went on a crazy run and they didn’t get scored on, and the momentum just built. So just to have that momentum, I think it is important, as you gain confidence in each other. I think that will be a big thing to start the season with whatever system we’re trying to build with.”

“I’ve been a pressure guy my whole life.  I hate sitting back, but if that’s what is going to get the job done, that’s what we’re going to do. Mike and I will sit down, and we’ll look at the best kills. But I know that the two best in the league every year is Carolina and Florida, and two years ago it was L.A. and we pressured everything that moved. When we look at the forward group and the D group and ask can we do that and then we’ll make the best plan.

“But I can tell you this, the best players in the world want time. So, we got to take time and space away. I think the number one thing we’re going to improve here is our stand at the line on zone entries. Edmonton was 27th in the league last year at denying entry on the penalty kill. I’ve always been a 1-3 guy, that’s going to hold hard at the line. We are going to try and keep get that number down, and if you can get that into the top 10, then you’re creating turnovers and you’re not spending as much time in your zone.”

“I hope that I can coach Nursey because he’s a big man with reach and length and our penalty kill over there was 93 per cent, and net 100 per cent, and he was the number one guy out the door. It was a different system where we pressure, pressure, pressure. He hasn’t had the opportunity to do that in Edmonton, as it’s been more of a sit at the net and make reads kind of style. I think with his length and his athleticism he can be an elite penalty killer in the National Hockey League. Now, that’s not my business (trade request), that’s his and his family’s and Stan’s, but I would certainly welcome him back.”

“I loved his demeanour. I liked his attitude off the ice. We connected right away. I love players. They are all different and unique, but I feel like me and Bouch are going to have a really good relationship. I’m will push him to be, in my opinion, a superstar. I think he’s even better than he’s been. I think there’s been a knock on his defensive play, and we have to look at it, and I have to push him to be better. We’d like to remove that (reputation) from him and give him an opportunity to be a guy who can be an Olympian.

“His nonchalantness is what hurts him, but it also makes him great. I mean, he’s willing to sit in the pocket longer than most quarterbacks to make that play where other guys panic. When I talk about Drew Doughty, the best part about Drew is he still thinks he’s the greatest player in the league and that helps great players because they never look down on themselves. They’re always thinking that they got the mental edge on someone and I feel with Bouch, he feels he can make a play at all costs. I talked to him last week when I talked about coming here. I’m like sometimes in football, even Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions head coach) punts. You know what I mean? Sometimes it (a pass or play) isn’t there and you can’t force it, so we have to do that (dump it out or make safe play), because if we do that, your game’s going to skyrocket like, but we have to learn that, and the I had a month to build a relationship with him. So, he knows it’s coming from a place of I’m trying to help this kid.  I’m not a dictator. I’m not going to stand up there and say I got all the answers, I’m just to try and help him be the best player he can be.”

“It’s better when they’re on one line on the road in my building. When we played in L.A., for instance, I want them on one line. I know I can essentially put all my eggs in one basket to shut them down with Kopitar, Doughty, Anderson or whoever, and we’re going to stay above you the entire night. The other players are just racing on and off because it’s all about getting them the puck and giving them the minutes, so if you can keep them off the board and not take too many penalties you can win.

“I don’t like when they got the two of them together in Edmonton because I can’t get the matchup. It’s a tough one and Mike’s going to make that decision, but clearly, they will play together at times. In this building it is a real hard one when you get them together, especially when they get you on an icing or they get you on a bad change and one of your weaker defensive lines is on the ice, and here they come with Bouch, or whoever it is and you’re pinned in for a deuce. It’s like killing a penalty. It can be a big advantage the home/road situation for me.”