To be completely forthright a lot of the guys are content to sit back and wait for McDrai.
Is that Tippett’s fault? Partly. He’s basically allowed it to continue.
It’s why they need someone who won’t let them off the hook.
Sutter has Calgary playing solid hockey (believe me I hate saying that). Is he warm and cuddly? No. If you take a day off with him, you’ll hear about it.
Exactly to the bolded.
I even made mention of this several weeks ago even when they were winning and have touched on it since on numerous occasions that this just doesn't feel like a TEAM.
It feels like a group of guys that just float around waiting for McDrai to create magic and it just seems like two teams.
Team McDrai with those two and whoever their linemates are (I'd probably throw Nurse and Smith in there) then Team Everybody Else who seems disconnected from Team McDrai.
With all due respect to those guys ability on the ice, I don't know if they are the guys to drag their teammates into the fight with them, make them feel like a part of the group. Drai is starting to get a sense of that as he matures but I kind of feel that McDavid is a little disconnected from the "others" and just sort of goes about his business of being a great individual hockey player. Not really blaming McDavid for that because he is what he is but I don't get a real leadership vibe from him.
Smith, on the other hand, seems very inclusive with the others on the team and I've gotta think that they miss some of that leadership now.
In any event, this isn't to excuse the supporting cast over the years for not bringing it. I just feel like it's a not a very welcoming team atmosphere and guys struggle partly due to that.
Also, the distribution of minutes is so heavily slanted to the top guys that it's hard for any of the support guys to build momentum when they see the ice so infrequently.
I don't know, it's hard to explain but it's a team that consistently lacks cohesiveness for whatever reason and it's one of the biggest things holding them back IMO.