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Guest2115
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 Posted - 06/14/2010 : 10:41:33
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Poll Question:
How good by NHL standards is Dion Phaneuf?
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shellac
Top Prospect
30 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2010 : 10:53:50
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| Being a Calgary Fan, I had the pleasure of watching Dion dominate during his first season, and then slowly become less dominant every season after. He is a good D-man, and he knows how to hit with the best of them, however the last couple seasons, more often than not he started to help the opposition create scoring chances, by always going for the big hit....leaving himself out of position. It was almost as if teams started to fish for the hit in order to put him out of the rush...and it worked...as a hitter he takes the bait. If he can start playing a little more responsibly, he could easily be top 5 in the next few seasons. right now he is Top 20 |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2010 : 15:17:33
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This is a very loaded question. If you are talking about 2-way defensemen, Phaneuf is not anywhere near the top 20. If you are talking about purely offensive defensemen, he is the high end of the top ten or just slightly out of the top 10.
He is a defensive liability, does not get physical with players his size or bigger, and does put himself out of position and his team at a disadvantage by making bad decisions on hits in the neutral zone.
However, he has a absolute bomb of a shot and takes smart shots on the PP. He skates incredibly well for a guy his size and moved the puck(be it staking or passing) as good as anyone in the league.
If I was picking purely offensively, he is one of the best. However, his defensive liabilities work against him in the grant scheme of things.
Honestly speaking, he is a #3 defensemen on 1/2 the teams in the league and a #1 defensemen on 1/2 the teams in the league.
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The Duke
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1239 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2010 : 17:55:24
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| players do change beans, things that are being critized about Phaneuf right now are the SAME things exactly that were said of Chris Pronger when he was a Very Young player. I think Paneuf is only 24 years old, don`t seem like it but he is still just past kid age. Maybe he made some mistakes in Calgary, maybe this trade will straighten him out. He seemed to LEAD Toronto down the stretch. From what i`ve seen of Phaneuf...his Potential...has yet to be measured, no telling how great he can become with his size, strength and mobility. One things for sure...as a leaf fan i can finally watch a star in the making on my team, and at a very young age...for a change. |
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irvine
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1315 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2010 : 20:14:33
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I agree with Beans statements. However, I also agree with The Duke's statements as well.
Phaneuf does make some big mistakes at times, but so does any other player in the NHL. It's just Phaneuf makes more mistakes, on a nightly basis. However, he is still young and developing. Phaneuf can still tweak his game.
As long as Dion is willing to continue listening to trainers, coaches, etc.. he can still develop his game to the next level. Which, is a level that could reach elite status at some point.
Irvine/prez. |
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n/a
deleted
4809 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2010 : 04:46:21
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I didn't see a lot of Phaneuf when he played with Calgary, and my opinion of him was the same as a player like Weber, totally based on press reports. I do remember he stood out in a game a couple of years ago I think when he was a dominant force and hit everything that moved plus providing the winning (or tying?) goal.
Since coming to Toronto, I was a little leery at first, knowing that from all accounts, the move was unexpected and seemed unwanted by Phaneuf. Coming into a situation like that, sort of sets you up to perform under expectations. And yet, he played pretty well from what I could see . . . he made mistakes here and there, yes - but never a huge glaring one that came back to haunt us, and it became apparent after about 5 or 6 games that he was a player that could set the tempo of the game. Those kinds of players are pretty special.
I'd like to see him get more shots on net (he was pretty wild in that regard first ten games), and I'd like to see him play with a very defensively responsible guy, and I think he can be a top ten d-man . . . we'll see how he takes the leadership role. Judging from when he was "the man" in Calgary (before getting crowded out), he should relish it.
"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug |
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LeMagnificent66
Top Prospect
Canada
8 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2010 : 09:47:06
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Living in the GTA I've had the chance to watch this guy a couple times live and he brings something that Toronto hasn't seen in a long time...Excitement and attitude. I notice a huge change in the way the Leafs played down the stretch with this guy in the line-up. If he can bring half of what he brought when the Canadian Juniors beat the Russian Ovechkins than his signing was a big plus for a soft Leafs squad.
Saying that he does has some defensive brain farts but I think with a healthy Mike Komisarek at his side it could make for a formidable defense pairing that opposing forwards would dread playing against.
It'll be intresting to see how Burke approaches this draft/ free agency.
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Guest9668
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Posted - 06/15/2010 : 16:41:18
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Pretty obvious that Phaneuf is a little too into the party scene (nose candy anyone?), which explains his declining abilities when he's only 24. Also explains why the rest of the Flames weren't exactly crying when he left.
Will moving to a bigger city with more responsibility make him clean up his off-ice habits, or make them worse? That is what leafs fans have to ponder this off season. I can see it go either way. |
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Deaner
Rookie
Canada
107 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2010 : 16:09:37
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| I think dion will smarten up a bit when he's off the ice, he is really gonna have to because the toronto media is all over every single move you make when you are a hockey player you can't get much privacy plus being named captain he's going to be watched big time so i guess we will see in coming months how his attitude changes. |
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irvine
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1315 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2010 : 17:02:27
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I don't think the question right now should be "How good is Dion Phaneuf?"
But,
"How good can Dion Phaneuf become?"
To me, Dion is on par for his age. He's a big, physical Defensmen with a hard shot from the point. He can move the puck well on the powerplay, and he can play some on the PK. Is at the top of his game? Certainly not. I believe he has the ability to improve. And, if he does, he can become an excellent, well-rounded Defencemen.
Toronto could be the place to do that. Expectations for the team as a whole, are at a low. But, expectations for Dion are at an all time high now.
The focus is on Dion. That may hurt, or it may help. Time will tell. It all depends on how much Dion excels in the spotlight.
The team overall, are not expected to do very well next season. But, Dion is.
Hopefully he can improve as the team does. The system in the back will be based around him, so it may prove helpful to his game.
Irvine/prez. |
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Rambo2305
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
546 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2010 : 06:57:34
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He's 25. obviously has alot to learn still, evident after the trade. He learned he was human and played more inspired hockey with the Leafs.
He will develop into, if he's not considered it already, one of the most feared d-man in the NHL. Look for him to develop his 2-way play and become what we all expected / knew he would become when he started playing in Calgary.
Funny how the same people that praised him in Calgary, all find nothing but negative things to say now that he is the Captain of the ever hated Maple Leafs... |
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Topic |
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how good is Dion Phaneuf? 
