@highlikefish I have to agree. No matter how "positionally sound" you play (because you just KNOW defenders are going to come in here and say, "Actually, the AI plays GREAT if you stay in position!"), it doesn't change the fact that the AI doesn't know how to make plays off the rush. Nor do they know how to dump the puck hard around. I play as a D-man in my offline BaP mode and watching my AI forwards attempt to rush the puck into the zone is comical.
Most of the time, the AI player will do a one-touch deke to the inside, launching themselves directly into the opposing team's AI defender for a turnover. I have NEVER seen the forward AI utilize simple common plays like carrying the puck into the zone on the wing, cutting back at the half-boards, and then looking for a pass. Either they enter the zone and deke into the d-men or make a drop pass to me if I'm open - and sometimes they don't even do this when I'm wide open. I find I usually have to "force" the AI to play better by calling for passes whenever I reach a soft spot in the coverage. They don't seem to have the logic to allow them to skate to open ice and look for playmaking opportunities.