Panzer- you're right on. Whatever you want to call it...chemistry, team toughness, character etc..this team has zero. The one year it was building was 2012, they went to eastern conference finals. Prust, Rupp and Bickel when in lineup made other teams think twice before taking runs at our guys. The old fuq Sather made sure they were not back. Not bringing back Prust was the start. If you're going to remove that factor what do you replace it with....Dorsett ??? C'mon.
Hockey down the stretch and into playoffs has always been in your face intimidation. Either your team answers the bell or goes home. Look what happened the last few weeks of season to McDonagh, probably the season team MVP. He basically suffered a season ending shoulder injury with :44 seconds left in a meaningless Vancouver game and almost had his hand broken twice by vicious slashes from Simmonds late in season. Dan Gerardi, his partner, is a f'n tissue box. The same Dan Gerardi that let Gaborik get manhandled by Carcillo a few yrs back and watched. What happened earlier this year when the Bruins took runs at Nash...nothing, just as nothing was done when Gaborik got hammered.
You are 100% right, there are few and far between character guys on this team. It has been this way for a long time here. Team toughness, willingness to defend a teammate (think about Adam Graves), is non existant...it's a self preservation attitude. They play on the perimeter and rarely go to the tough area of the ice because of it.
It is obvious as the day is long that Sather does not care about adding/building that factor. It's not that tough to see why the most talented guys haven't succeeded here when it counts most. Not sure he even gives any thought. Expect some more soft 3rd/4th liners to be added in the off season as the run of Sather mediocrity continues ad nauseum.
