When a player shows you what they are, in terms of talent, hockey smarts, character, heart, soul, etc... you know what you have. Talent can be developed and the mistakes of youth an inexperience should never be confused with a lack of heart or even hockey smarts. But we have players that have shown season after season they are not what makes a winning team. Players that quit on a coach and got him fired. Players than have never or rarely stepped up in the biggest games and the critical moments. Players than have contracts far to big for their contribution.

The way I see it, this team does not need a complete rebuild. They need a retooling that includes getting rid of some of the dead weight and adding a few players that are simply bad-arses, when it comes to competing and holding their teammates (and themselves) accountable for anyhting less than a 100% effort. It is bad enough that slugs like Berglund (and others) play at 50% or 60% or 80% effort most of the time. What makes it worse is that nobody on that team calls them out and gets in their face.

The Blues need a player or two that doesn't care if you like him. He's going to get in your face, if you're not giving 100%. They need to get a little faster. I'm not concerned with their size, as long as they stay in the upper half of the league, in size, speed is the real issue. And they need one more pure scorer. You can't win when only one guy has the potential to score on every shift. The opposing teams can simply lock him down and make you beat them with one of your other guys. That's a problem, when all of your other guys are mediocre...