I will 100% guarantee you that the locker room culture is responsible for what we’re seeing out of Nichuskin. They’ve built a culture of acceptance and inclusion there that is infectious. It seems like no matter who is in that room on a given night they feel like they belong there and are welcomed by the big stars of the team. They’re expect themselves to contribute, because the room expects them to contribute, and trusts them to do their jobs and do them well. I really get the feeling that that locker room culture that has been built by Landy and MacK and reinforced by Bednar is one of inclusion and expectations. Nobody gets berated, but positively encouraged. I know that sounds like millenial feel good BS, but it’s true. When you take those AHL guys and throw them to the wolves like they’ve had to this last while you have to be positive with them knowing they’re not going to be perfect, and they turned out to be not perfect but effective overall. I’m feeling really good about this team going forward. To quote Maximus, “On my signal, unleash hell.”

Question for the Taylor Hall episode: where does this idea that Hall is a “locker room cancer” come from, and how much stock should we put in it?

Can one guy really tank an entire locker room, especially if they’re being added to a team with a strong, healthy culture? Are there any examples of this actually happening in recent memory, or is the whole “bad locker room guy” thing just an easy narrative for press and fans to run with?

Also for the record I know people like to point to the late Duchene years as an example, but that seems like the culmination of years of frustration combined with a generational rift between team leadership, so a little more complex than “this guy has a bad attitude”