Elvistein

Bo needs to Go... I have been a fan from the beginning. But these past couple of years, he is plain vanilla. He reads from a script after the games and during the games he doesn't try to drag his team into any games with a big hit, or getting into the tough areas in front of the net. It is embarrassing to say the least. If a team takes it to you early like that - get mad, get angry out there, show some emotion on the ice and on the bench. instead, he disappears and that is not what is going to get this team to a Stanley Cup any time soon. He is in his prime, and we could probably get a good return. Keep Miller, give him the "C" and lets build a winner around Demko, Hughes, Petey and Brock. Petey was throwing his body around tonight... good to see, but bad to see he led the team.

Soft is when you don't push back at all when a guy uses your head for a punching bag... Soft is allowing Thornton to rub his stink finger under your nose when talking to the ref during the playoffs and not doing a thing about it. I am not saying that they aren't skilled or great leaders on and off the ice. I am saying that the next choice of a Captain needs to be a leader with grit, that plays hard in all areas of the ice and a guy with a bit of an edge that when pushed too far will stick up for himself or his teammates. Horvat can be that guy!

It depends on how you define "tough"... Playing with an edge is tough in my opinion. As I said, you don't have to be a goon to play tough... Put it this way Kane (or Toews) would have never let Marchand use their head as a punching bag in a playoff series...

Let's not blame Benning for our team being soft! He inherited the softness and the "stale core"... he had a challenging uphill battle from day one with the no trade clauses and the empty cupboards when it came to prospects.... so he needed to add skill and toughness to our team... he started to build from the goalies out (Demko, Garteig) He added toughness on D when he drafted Tryamkin, traded for Gudbranson and Pedan, drafted skill in Juolevi and signed Stecher. I am sure he would love to trade Edler but he won't move... and he inherited a good young D in Hutton... I would say it's a pretty good start on replacing our stale D with potential to be both tough, hard to play against and can move the puck with Juolevi being a potential 1-2 D for power play .. Then he added toughness in Virtanen, Labate, Cramarosa, Dorsett, Prust - not all have worked out, but too early to tell with the young guys.... he also needed to add skill so he drafted Boeser, Gaudette, inherited Horvat, traded for Granlund, Baertschi, Goldobin, Dahlen, Eriksson, Boucher.... There is potential skill upside, as most of these guys are in their early 20's.... so before we start comparing ourselves to Calgary, let's give these guys the same time frame to bond together as a team... With guys like Horvat and Boeser and Gudbranson taking over the leadership... I think that we will become hard to play against, and the "hate to lose" mentality will be strong in the dressing room. Benning is far from perfect, but show me a perfect GM in this league. Now that most of the stale core has left, we are witnessing a NEW ERA and I am very excited to see how these guys come together with more and more prospects being added through NCAA, Draft, trades, etc.. over the next few years. In order for our guys to change our "soft" play and reputation.... Henrik, Daniel and Edler need to allow Benning to get picks/prospects for them at the trade deadline next year like Burrows and Jannick did this year! Linden's trade to the Islanders near the end of his career helped shape our team for years! he needs to talk to them and thank them for all they have done for this franchise, but convince them that them allowing a trade to a contender is the best thing they can for this team's future.... while having one more chance at winning a Stanley Cup!

In Hockey - you need team toughness... I agree with you that we don't need goons, but team toughness with pushback... Cal = Tkachuk, Monahan, Giordano, Hamilton, Wideman, Brouwer, Versteeg, Ferland, Engelland, Smid, Bartkowski. Edm = Lucic, Maroon, Kassian, Larsson, Cagguila, Nurse, Hendricks, Fraser. Ana = Getzlaf, Kesler, Perry, Fowler, Bieksa, Boll, Manson, Eaves. Chicago = Toews, Kane, Kieth, Hossa, Seabrook, Hjarlmarsson, Tootoo, Oduya... All these players play with an edge and toughness when the games count. Which makes the rest of the team play bigger and with more confidence. I said it before, with the Sedins and Edler leading our team, we will never have the swagger that I believe we can with Horvat, Tryamkin, Gudbranson, Sbisa, Granlund, Boeser, Labate... with a guy like Horvat leading this young team, they will start to play with the same will and "toughness" that it takes to win. As far as Virtanen is concerned - let's not write him off yet! He is the youngest kid on the Utica Comets at the moment - he is developing by maturing down there - he will have a chance to develop his game and come to camp next year to try and make the team. If he doesn't make the team, then maybe it is a good thing that they wait until the Sedins contract is over and he learns how to conduct himself on and off the ice like Horvat does and Boeser does... These are the ones I would like to see our new crop of prospect strive to play like. I am tired of the leadership turning the other cheek game in and game out, during the regular season maybe, but during the playoffs - that was the difference between winning in 2011 and losing as far as I am concerned. I trust Benning will continue to try to draft a mix of everything this team needs - but it can't happen overnight - when he drafts a solid kid in Virtanen, he should have drafted talent, when he traded for Dahlen and Goldobin, he traded for kids that are too small... give the guy a chance over the next 2-3 years to draft and trade for a mix of players that will be tough to play against - with speed, size and skill in the mix!

I seriously think that it starts when the Sedins and Edler are gone. Our leadership is soft... Travis Green needs to take the tape of the Flames vs Kings game tonight and show Virtanen how Tkachuk has played... IF we can get Virtanen, Tryamkin and Gudransen playing with grit and push back every game... and we have a stud captain in Horvat... that leads with grit and determination.... then things will get better in a hurray for our team!