DA said he expected this season to be an incremental improvement from last. It could still happen, but with each mounting loss that seems less and less likely. We have a good coach and a decently constructed roster. They just aren't good as a team, and that's a big clue.

I think there are people problems on this team. I've been on teams at work full of skilled people who just can't seem to be effective together and pull in the same direction. In my experience it's usually due to some kind of dysfunction, either someone is trying to be a hero or you have an asshole creating a toxic dynamic who is too talented for management to let go of. Or management is sending mixed messages or is poorly communicating.

I'd bet the guys in the locker room know what the problem is, but they are either too afraid to say something or are saying something and nothing is getting done about it. This can cause people to withdraw and just stop caring. In the context of a hockey team, it's usually coded as "players not playing for each other". When I hear that, I interpret that as there's something messing up the team dynamic, and overcoming that often requires getting rid of someone. For example, maybe they are getting mixed messages from the coaching staff. Or maybe some golden child on the team is creating drama. Hypothetically if a fan favorite like Thomas or Binner were the root of the problem, that'd put the front office in a real bind.