I'm not sure I get the obsession with "toughness". Toughness always seems to end up in the press box when things really matter. We've had so called tough players in the past and there's still complaints the team is soft.
I can see a size argument for range but not for hits or fighting or what have you.
Toughness is an interesting concept
I think that fighting has little to do with it these days, as do big open ice hits
Instead, when I think of toughness, I try to envision what it would be like to go into corner to battle over a loose puck with a guy. Are they tenacious? Are they not gonna quit? Am I gonna feel like I've paid a price even if I "win" the battle?
On one "soft" end of the spectrum is Connor. On the "tough" end, Lowry
Not everyone needs to have that. For example, Lidstrom was one of the best at winning loose puck ever, but he used his body positioning and stick perfectly