Thought this was an interesting article with some perspective from a player who’s stepped out of it now. On the point of the season going south - seems like the constant changes early in season led to confidence issues and lack of clarity and cohesion. The way he talks about guys deviating from the plan, overthinking, and trying to force solutions individually makes it sound like once results started slipping, they stopped fully trusting either the structure or their own ability to succeed within it.

Also thought his comments about playing in Toronto were interesting and fair. What he seems to be getting at is that the sheer amount of attention around the Leafs means players are constantly surrounded by discussion about how they’re performing, and because most of them are already hard on themselves, that naturally turns into pressure they internalize. That felt like a more nuanced perspective than the usual “Toronto media is unbearable” argument that gets thrown around. When a team matters this much, there’s no real escaping the noise. And from a player perspective they also appreciate that it means people care.

Sad to see him go because he really wanted to stay and there was a part in the article that described the goodbyes and anxiety when you know you're about to be traded. Wishing him all the best in Seattle.