i dont think it in the slightest (Holtby + Hellebuyck being weighed down) I used them as examples bc they have a lot of straps. its not the right reason of leather straps for weight reducing. its innovation. like @TheGoalNet has said, the advantage of velcro straps is that u can wear the pad really tight and still get proper pad rotation, and it makes the pad quicker to take on and off.
yeah its a gimmick lol. hate changes just for the sake of changes. if taking away leather straps made a drastic performance change in a goalies game it would be a different story. ccm has been very ¨if it aint broke dont fix it¨ w their gear designs and it was unneeded to change the strap material, looks like just a selling point