IMO it all stems from a flawed core. They look great when the stars align but they're too easy to knock outside their comfort zone, and the rest of our problems show up as a result.
The supporting cast seems suspect, but those guys are making <$2M for a reason. Dominik Simon and Josh Leivo shouldn't need to be impactful, they should just have to slot in beside the real difference-makers and keep their heads above water.
Coaching becomes an impossible job - when your best players are liabilities there's no system that works.
Building the roster becomes impossible too - if your top guys can't produce without the perfect linemate, at what point are they the problem?
That's not to say the supporting cast, coaching, or GMing have been perfect - far from it. Those things are all holding us back from reaching our potential, but the core problem is our potential just isn't that high.
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