Dear Qwerty,
You are aware of the different outcome of Chassidus for Lubavitch. But you are not getting into what makes it so. For all you know, The Rebbe Is Moshiach is the authentic outcome of Chabad.
1) Everybody today is careful about ‘My Leader Is Moshiach’ statements because they don’t want to be compared to Chabad. So that isn’t evidence. There are yeshiva bochurim that are just as enchanted with their Rosh Yeshiva as a Meshichist.
2) Paranormal stories that lend credence to tzaddikim being neviim are in abundance. I have not heard Chabadtzkers saying the Rebbe was a prophet as a general statement.
3) Other Chassidim have claimed their Rebbe to be among the living dead. Lubavitch is the only large group to make such a claim. Please realize that they are the only large group to stay intact for thirty years without a rebbe. The question is what do they mean by this statement and is it rooted in Chassidus.
4) We are not bothered by what they do on the street. It’s benign. Chabad is not a threat to missionize anyone of us to Chabad as long as the subject knows anything. A lot (Not all.) of the anti Chabad is missing out on the basics. So I’m fine with it. Let Chabad open their eyes a bit.
5) That Rabbi is not a lone wolf. Degenerating other gedolim is a big issue which not all of Chabad is personally aware of. And too many of them deny it. But it is just as bad in other groups. Sometimes even worse.
6) So what if Chabad believes they are exclusive? That put’s them with Brisk (Each version separately.) Half of Ponovezh, Segments of Breslov, and several small cult like groups.
7) If you want to say we disagree on certain major points with Chabad, that is true. But it is even worse with some other groups. And disagreement is not automatically heresy. There is no schism between Chabad and the rest of Klal Yisroel.