Call me crazy but if we dispense with the narratives about Purcell being lazy and unmotivated of late, and instead consider that he went from having Steven Stamkos (54% and 54% of Purcell's 5v5 TOI) and Martin St. Louis (31% and 35% of Purcell's 5v5 TOI) as his top-two linemates the previous two seasons to then skating primarily with Alex Killorn (54% of Purcell's 5v5 TOI) and Valtteri Filppula (51% of Purcell's 5v5 TOI) over this past one, we might just conclude that's probably got far more to his drop-off in production then any supposed decline in effort.
Couple that with the fluctuation -- which you expect, both in-season and from season to season -- in shooting percentages he has experienced (both overall and at 5v5, where he's seen a drop from 12.2% in 2011-2012 to 9.7% in 2012-2013 to 6.8% last season) and, with his shot totals being right in line with previous campaigns, the idea that he's been resting on his laurels seems even less explanatory. And if you accept that Purcell is a complementary winger, particularly at even-strength, who needs others to drive the bus for him, you end up a lot less dissatisfied with his play because you have lower expectations to begin with.
All this said, TB should look to move the guy if his diminished role in the playoffs is indicative of future and perhaps longer-lasting adjustments. There's just no way to justify primarily skating him alongside Nate Thompson, where Cooper ended up relegating him for much of the brief series against Montreal.
