If we're talking about the top 3 problems recently:
1. Injuries to Klefbom, Neal, Haas have hurt more than we realized they would
Klefbom took on the top minutes for the Oilers. Him being injured pushed all of our dmen up the depth chart which they are not capable of doing. Barrie was signed to help fill some of this void but he is more of a 2nd pairing dman who cannot take on top minutes against the opposition's best players. Neal is also a bit of a blow just from a swagger/leadership standpoint. Ditto with Smith (The guy can be ass at times but he has a confidence about him that rubs off on other players)
2. Poor execution, reads, and decision making.
I don't know what it is but we seem to draft/bring in the worst players who have no clue in terms of execution/decision making. I think part of the problem may be that they really rely on McDavid to bring the puck up the whole ice surface instead of working as a team (imo), which leads to the others players literally not knowing how to make a proper pass or read when they don't have a McDavid to pass the puck to. But honestly I do not really know what it is. All I know is that this team has been horrible in this department for years no matter who their coach was.
3. Lack of intensity/heart (I'd also lump work ethic into this one)
My main issue with this team is that you do not know what you are going to get night in and night out. Teams such as Ottawa or Montreal at least put in a solid effort every game and don't make things easy for their opposition. Sure, teams have off nights but it seems like when we have an "off" night, we are one of if not the worst team in the league which shouldn't be the case. Watching this team is like playing the roulette table. You have no f***ing clue what you are going to get as the effort is wildly inconsistent. Do we need a Tortorella/Mike Keenan type to throw shit around the room and get the boys going? It's possible. It's just a shame that it has to get to that point where the coach has to constantly try to motivate the players for the start of each f***ing game.