man oh man are the leafs brutal.
You have a team make up where the top guys aren't necessarily good character/leader type guys, and in a market where the media gong show is so immense, and your bound to fail. the leafs brass has repeatedly fail to understand that in order to build a strong team, they need skill (which they have) but just as important is competitive individuals with strong leadership qualities in order to be able to get beyond the media scrutiny that comes with playing in this market.
building around guys like kessel, phaneuf, who are good players, isn't going to get them anywhere, as they lack in character and leadership qualities.
on a side note, gardiner is an absolute brutal dman. like he's justin shultz bad, maybe worse considering he actually has some NHL caliber Dmen around him to be mentored by. If gardiner is on the leafs roster come next season, in my books Shannahan is just as big an idiot as the franchise he's inherited.
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