1. How do the players respond to new leadership and John Tavares’ departure?
The change from the leadership tandem of general manager Garth Snow and coach Doug Weight to Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz is a seismic one, and not just because the players must be clean-shaven. Lamoriello and Trotz have spent the summer working to change the whole culture of the organization – from the way it operates on ice to off the ice – and now the hands-on teaching part begins.
Of course, the first hurdle is the loss of franchise face John Tavares.