I know Gorton and Hughes have stated they want to get bigger but watching a soft team like Carolina manhandle the Habs was embarrassing.
No one did a damn thing when Barron was shoved into the boards.
Anderson did fight the other night but he and our other so called tough guy Edmundson sat and watched Xhekaj fight 10 times this year and neither stepped up to take some of the responsibility from him.
Fighting and tough play is still a big part of hockey and while I am not a fan of fighting I am a fan of hard, tough gritty hockey. Habs may be on their way there but they have a long way to go.
I don't know what you see but Carolina is anything but a soft team. Toughness does not equate fighting. They are a playoff built team, mixtures of skill and size.
As for the Habs, what an over reaction. It's been pointed out in previous responses who depleted from injuries yesterday's lineup. Aside from Caufield, 3D's over 6'2" were missing. Dach, Slaf, and Monahan are also over 6'2".
By my count, that's 6 players not in the lineup that are over 6'2" so size is not an issue with this team.
Hughes is also on record that the team needs to get bigger. Can all the small players play on the top 9? Absolutely not. Caufield for sure. Farrell is a stud - you make room for him on your top 9. RHP, the future will tell but he will have to continually earn his minutes. Small skilled players are important, you just have to make sure they are the right one. Kucherov and Point are both under 6' and are critical to Tampa's success.
Habs are a lot closer than you think but don't let the facts clutter your judgement.