Fair enough Scott, but I've heard the same line from him the last couple years and both 2k9 and 2k10 were essentially both terrible. I still believe they actually have lost touch though, there gets to be a point after 5 iterations on the current crop of systems that if they were truly going to make a next gen feeling hockey game and actually innovate like EA has with the skill stick and EASHL among other things, that it would have happened by now.
The slide started with Cinemotion, and its pretty much been all down hill since that brilliant design decision.