When Rick Bowness was hired to be the Winnipeg Jets head coach, one thing he instituted was the defense jumping into the rush. His reason was that he believed the four-man rush (which necessarily includes one defenseman) needed to become a crucial strategy in today’s NHL. Why? As he explains in the video below, the NHL has evolved. Teams are so well coached and players are so highly skilled that teams need to create innovative ways to outnumber opponents on rushes.
Jets Josh Morrissey Is a Defenseman Who Joins the Rush
One significant reason for the prominence of the four-man rush is that the defensemen have the skills to be involved in offensive plays. The Jets’ Josh Morrissey is one example. He scored 16 goals and added 60 assists in 78 games last season. However, he’s not alone. Other stars like Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks are increasingly contributing to scoring and playmaking. They have great skills and can skate like the wind.
In the modern NHL, it’s getting so that every player needs to be an offensive threat. As a result, it makes sense to include defensemen in the rush. It also adds a dynamic element to the team’s offensive strategy. However, as fans must also know, one mistake can turn the puck the other way quickly. The game certainly becomes more end-to-end and dynamic.
Bowness emphasizes that, without a four-man rush, teams become predictable and easier to defend. The fourth player joining the rush creates opportunities. It also forces opponents to adjust and makes it more challenging to counter the offensive threat. Teams are aggressive with their two-man forecheck, making the four-man rush a strategic response to break through defensive setups.
The Four-Man Rush Disrupts Opponent’s Defensive Structures
The importance of the fourth player in the rush is useful because it disrupts the opponent’s defensive structure. With three forwards attacking, the defense must react, potentially leaving gaps that the fourth player can take advantage of. This strategy challenges the traditional defensive mindset and forces teams to adapt to a more dynamic offensive game.
Players like Makar and Morrissey, because they are always granted the green light to lead rushes, show how the shift towards defensemen actively participating in offensive transitions can be successful. The trust placed in defensemen to join the rush reflects the growing reliance on a four-man rush as a key element of today’s NHL gameplay.
The bottom line is that the four-man rush has become a component in almost every coach’s playbook. When it works, it requires teams to be constantly aware of the potential offensive threat from all positions on the ice. Because the NHL continues to grow in its strategic thinking, the four-man rush stands out as one of the key changes that coaches are employing as a way for their teams can stay competitive and keep opponents guessing.
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