The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the NHL's most popular teams, but despite that popularity the team has lacked on-ice success. At last season's Trade Deadline the team worked hard to add some significant role players to their roster. The Leafs added Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn, players who both have a Stanley Cup to their names.
The idea behind the revitalization of the Leafs lineup was to change the culture of the team. With the end of the season multiple rumors surfaced that on their exit interviews, both O'Reilly and Schenn had made mention of the lack of culture in the locker room. This included players choosing to not host team dinners, instead electing to eat alone.
Yesterday on Overdrive, a Toronto based radio show, the crew addressed the problems within the organization. Questions continued to surface about whether or not John Tavares is the right man to captain the Leafs.
This summer the Maple Leafs put a heavy emphasis on signing Ryan Reaves, a man who is well known for galvanizing locker rooms. Could the lack of camaraderie be the reason the Leafs refuse to defend each other in scrums? Could this lack of bond be the reason the Leafs have failed on so many occasions to breakthrough to the next level in the playoffs?
