These dudes are mandated to play so soft. It must be the case. Has to be.
I'm sure of it! What kind of hockey player would play this way...the whole team does it! It has to come from the top.
I believe that Dubas thinks this is how the league is trending...it's what they want to sell...skill/fancy shmancy hockey. He is probably correct.They want to distance themselves from the 'old-time' hockey attitude that said 'if you can't beat 'em in the alley...you can't beat 'em on the ice".There are reasons for this.
The physical stuff causes problems the league ultimately doesn't want to deal with. Legal stuff...like concussion issues/liability,etc. They don't want to be seen as being able to do something about it ,yet use the excuse that 'this is what the fans pay to see'... but the optics are bad when trying to justify head injuries and the like, even if the players willingly signed on to accept fighting ,some lawyer can make misery for the league in being negligent should that player get seriously hurt.
Right now,in this era of hockey ,we are witnessing a different type of game.Newer fans won't necessarily notice ...Older fans will possibly turn away altogether(i have considered it). I think teams are trying to find that skill/toughness balance...not an easy task!
The Leafs no doubt, have a 'walk away' policy on the ice. Trying to be smart ,not get a penalty,or the extra penalty....Who remembers when a player retaliating to a dirty shot got the only penalty. Or when ,coming to a team-mates rescue was rewarded with an extra penalty or misconduct. I believe Babs wants the focus to be on the puck. Hitting is fine if you get the puck possession out of it.But,go out of your way to make a hit and you might be sitting for a while.
The problem the Leafs have is painfully obvious...and will likely get more painful,for the players and the fans.They look like they don't care about each other. Not a good look to have. Not sure how ..to a man..they can feel good about themselves! Maybe if they were 15-0 and led the league in PP opportunities as aresult of this 'smarter play' then I could be on board(even though I prefer the rough stuff)., But their style isn't working out that well...is it? Maybe they will make moves to find a better balance. We will see!