This is Justin Bourne (not Jason) on the Leafs, but I thought it worth posting in a summer of change for Calgary topic.
It's pretty spot on.
Quote:
I can’t help but wonder if in future years they revert back to something I’ve always thought: you can’t import character around a team’s core and change the team’s DNA. The character of the core is the character of the core, and having strong confident personalities around the fringes is great, but it’s Marner and Matthews and Nylander going over the boards in the big moments, not Thornton or Foligno or Simmonds.
I don’t think the character of the Leafs’ core is an issue. The point is that bringing in people around it doesn’t alter what your team really is, so get the best players and accept that the team belongs to the players who play the minutes. If you don’t think those players have “it,” well, then you’ve got bigger problems to address.
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