Trapper
Registered User
- Nov 21, 2013
- 23,974
- 11,476
Agree to a point.
Leafs have 1 elite player, and he's one dimensional and soft.
With the Leafs talent level they have to outwork the opposition, but other than the 3rd. line they don't have high rev engines.
You remember the game against the Penguins, every camera shot at the Penguins bench after a shift showed an excited Crosby talking to the players around him. Perhaps that is the difference between good and great talented players, non stop drive.
Well that's the thing. Management can bring in those higher quality players but you can't teach drive.
Not having the right personnel is the same as having a flawed core. Kessel is elite but he can't make Bozak Toews. Neither can Kadri make Kessel Perry. Skill that doesn't compliment would also be flawed.
The players are responsible for compete. You can judge if the core is flawed on this. Management is responsible for bringing in the pieces to compliment Kessel. Again you can judge. By giving Bozak,Lupul,Phaneuf,Clarkson big dollars, they have shown their hand. Whoever you want to blame (or not) it doesn't change what is.