gunnar36 said:
There is zero character on this team.
I completely agree. My first clue was the game 7 collapse. Watching the Leafs lay down and die in the face of adversity was extremely disappointing, aside from the loss itself. Even more so.
The stunned look on the bench, even while still tied, in that game, spoke volumes about the character of this team. No one stood up, no one took charge, no one said a word.
Boston's leadership was off the charts at that point.
The Leafs just tucked their collective tails between their legs and lay down in defeat...before defeat even happened.
There was no Kirk Muller, shouting in the faces of his teammates, Dave Keon tearing a strip of everyone, Ed Belfour giving the guys an earful..
The Leafs are a talented team, not contenders yet, but have goaltending and can score. Not bad attributes at all for a middle of the pack team that should be looking at the next level.
But there is something missing that is evidenced by their inability to play for 60 minutes, bad starts, deep losing funks, and showing up many nights looking disinterested.
Phaneuf is no captain. 24/7 confirmed that in my eyes. I think he's a good D and has a spot on a contending team, but he's not the guy to lead the way.
It's not only his job though, leadership can, and probably should, come from a few different players.
The Leafs are young, wealthy dudes who are products of charmed lives for the most part. They need role models they can relate to, guys who never take a shift off (there's yer Jonny Toews)
IMO, that's the Leafs biggest need to address this offseason. To create a culture in that dressing room of urgency and accountability to each other.
Oh yeah, and fire Randy.