Speaking of which,
Dee, Jon Rosen had an interesting paragraph to close Waking Up with the Kings at
lakingsinsider.com:
That's a good closer to that piece and this:
but there’s just some sort of intangible, ambiguous element or catalyst that this team doesn’t have
hits the nail on the head. That Catalyst, or lack thereof, is exactly what has been missing for the last 3 yrs. I Posted an article on the Around the League about the amazing display of leadership Kucherov has shown. Losing stamkos was tough enough and the other injury issues but trading 2 centers at the deadline, losing 3 more in March , including Johnson. I wrote the bolts off.
But since 2/20, in a little over 4 weeks, Kucherov has 17 goals and 29 pts, (7 goals in his last 4 games and all of the multiple pt games) he went on a mission at the deadline and is dragging them into the playoffs. He plays like a man possessed on most shifts. It's remarkable to watch and it's that effort that inspires the bench to pick it up on their shifts.
Props to him that is the kind if inner fire and instabile appetite you need in a leader and it's not something you can teach or learn, you have it or you don't. You add a skill like his to that, you have 1 special player.
That 's is what this team is lacking and has been for 3 seasons now . Carter tried his best for most of the year but it takes more than 1 player. And I think a lot of that 'fire' dying down can be to Sutter's effect on those players and the team. He's worn them down, and it shows.
I heard Iggy say, years ago, of Sutter that he's very very hard on the top players, and that some of them (this was while he was still in Calgary) can't handle it and that can become a distraction if you don't work at it . Willie Mitchell priced himself off the team to get away from him. (something that the FLA media mentioned when Willie got the C and Willie hinted at when the news of the locking sutter out broke)
You look at what the change in Brown has been (was the C when Sutter came) over the last 4 yrs. And maybe he's worn thin on Kopitar as well.
Whatever it is, you have to think the ownership group, after 3 yrs and 1 playoff win and how disinterested they've looked, esp down the stretch in these last 3 , will be wanting a change. Last playoff win was AMart's cup winner 3 yrs ago. I really think , after the last 2 yrs. of it, they gave DL 1 last chance to prove his way, his big heavy game, etc, still works, even to the extent of resigning Sutter. But it hasn't worked. I just can't think they want to revisit this path for a 4th time next year.
Something's gotta give...
