Top 6, bottom 6...blah..blah.
I think the Florida, TB, Boston points are that the top players cannot be physically taken out of their games. You're not going to intimidate Kucherov, Barkov, Marchand, Vegas, etc...
Softness, for me, just means that when pushed, a player fundamentally becomes a worse player when the refs decide it's ok to try to cripple the opponent (i.e. playoff hockey).
I'm also worried that simply adding tough players is not the answer. Their play was not going to make a difference either way. It's the potential difference makers whose game vacillates that worries me.