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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
 Posted - 10/24/2010 : 19:50:37
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Phaneuf is a feast or famine kind of player. I know I have stated how much I dislike the guy but that is because I dislike his style of play. He is a uber-aggressive player and I am more impressed with the Lidstrom/Niedermayer type of players that can completely dominate without being physical.
However, I will say that when Phaneuf is sharp, he is one of the best in the game. Few can match his physical gifts of size, speed, and power all combined. But with that, you must also watch the 2-1 the other way when he misses the hit in the offensive zone and his marker coming out of the corner with the puck when Dion was too agressive.
You take the good with the bad. Unfortunately, he has been pretty bad in the games I have watched this year. |
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The Duke
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1239 Posts |
Posted - 10/25/2010 : 15:55:15
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Well said Beans...my god we are seeing eye to eye more often then not lately.  |
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The Duke
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1239 Posts |
Posted - 10/25/2010 : 15:59:18
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More or less what Beans post is saying ( not putting words in your mouth Beans ), i know you didn`t say this but.....
IF upon making the playoffs....a player like Phaneuf can Carry you through the playoffs ( eg. pronger )....or he can give you an early exit. I`d take a potential playoff beast on my team any-day. |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 10/25/2010 : 21:06:22
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quote:
Originally posted by The Duke
More or less what Beans post is saying ( not putting words in your mouth Beans ), i know you didn`t say this but.....
IF upon making the playoffs....a player like Phaneuf can Carry you through the playoffs ( eg. pronger )....or he can give you an early exit. I`d take a potential playoff beast on my team any-day.
Oh no Duke, you completely missed what I said.
Pronger and Phaneuf do not belong in the same sentence together.
One of them has lead 3 different teams to the Finals, won a Cup, and does not take foolish risks trying to hit people on plays that have no impact to the game.
The other one is Dion Phaneuf.
Hope this clears this up. |
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TheRC
Rookie
105 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2010 : 20:24:03
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Yeah, I'm going to have to say Phaneuf =/= Pronger. Nowhere close.
I missed the game tonight against Florida. I've only read a quick scoring summary. 3-1 can mean a solid win, or it can mean a hard won victory squeezed out with the help of a few lucky breaks. Anybody care to comment on how well they Leafs played?
"If at first you don't succeed, you fail" |
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ToXXiK1
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
696 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2010 : 02:36:46
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| I was only able to watch the 1st and have to say it was one of the worst first 19 min i've seen this season. The puck was replaced with a rubber hand grenade cuz no one wanted it and no one could handle it. It was a brutal period from both sides until the Leafs got it together in the final minute. Also, looked like the ref was playing bingo on the penalty calls, many missed and the ones called were marginal at best. After that, I can't say. |
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n/a
deleted
4809 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2010 : 04:57:58
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Leafs played quite ok - not firing on all cylinders offensively, but they did bring up their defensive game. But this is an expected thing for me, so I am not going to gloat about that. Komisarek played a solid, understated physical role, he keeps playing like that and I can live with it.
Florida really is one of those bubble teams, like half of the eastern conference, that you can't take too lightly. They play a solid defensive system, which is why I think the first period was so disjointed and had no flow. At least we beat somebody's back-up this time
Would like to see Kulemin stay on the top line, and not just because I have him as the last player drafted on my team. He gels well with Bozak and Kessel, better than Versteeg IMHO, and hopefully a little less glare on the second line will get Kris going.
These are the kind of quiet, ugly wins the Leafs need to make the playoffs.
"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug |
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The Duke
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1239 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2010 : 15:24:27
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Phaneuf ain`t no Pronger i know, but Pronger was hardly half the player he turned out to be when he was Phaneufs age. Pronger did all the things Phaneuf is doing now when he was 24 - 25....i know, i remember.
Not saying Phaneuf will ever be as good as Pronger...just saying. |
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nuxfan
PickupHockey All-Star
3670 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2010 : 16:23:53
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Duke, good point. Its hardly fair to compare today's Phaneuf with today's Pronger... as Beans said, they really do not compare at all anyway. But, there are lots of similarities between Phaneuf and 6-years-in-the-NHL Pronger.
Jury is still out on Phaneuf. He's been given a second chance in TOR after being booted from CGY, and we'll see where he is in 2-3 years. I doubt he'll be Pronger-esque though. |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2010 : 08:46:01
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quote:
Originally posted by The Duke
Phaneuf ain`t no Pronger i know, but Pronger was hardly half the player he turned out to be when he was Phaneufs age. Pronger did all the things Phaneuf is doing now when he was 24 - 25....i know, i remember.
Not saying Phaneuf will ever be as good as Pronger...just saying.
Chris Pronger is 36 years old. So 11 years ago, when he was 25, he won the Norris, Hart, and was 1st Team NHL All Star. You may remember something about Pronger, but it's not that he played a reckless type of hockey. Pronger was only the best player in the NHL at 25. Maybe you are thinking about Sean Pronger??
Phaneuf is no where near that point in his career. Not even close. Pronger never had the mobility in his game that Phaneuf has and never could afford himself the luxury of laying an open ice hit, putting himself completely out of position defensively. Pronger always has been brilliant in his positioning, since the day he entered the NHL.
Just as Brian Burke, he drafted Pronger. |
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Pasty7
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
2312 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2010 : 19:50:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Beans15
quote:
Originally posted by The Duke
Phaneuf ain`t no Pronger i know, but Pronger was hardly half the player he turned out to be when he was Phaneufs age. Pronger did all the things Phaneuf is doing now when he was 24 - 25....i know, i remember.
Not saying Phaneuf will ever be as good as Pronger...just saying.
Chris Pronger is 36 years old. So 11 years ago, when he was 25, he won the Norris, Hart, and was 1st Team NHL All Star. You may remember something about Pronger, but it's not that he played a reckless type of hockey. Pronger was only the best player in the NHL at 25. Maybe you are thinking about Sean Pronger??
Phaneuf is no where near that point in his career. Not even close. Pronger never had the mobility in his game that Phaneuf has and never could afford himself the luxury of laying an open ice hit, putting himself completely out of position defensively. Pronger always has been brilliant in his positioning, since the day he entered the NHL.
Just as Brian Burke, he drafted Pronger.
unless Dion wins the Heart and Norris this year Beano you forgot it could still happen  remember we are only 10 games in!
Pasty |
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ToXXiK1
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
696 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2010 : 03:01:28
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Seguin - 1, Kessel - 0
Fairly entertaining game, chances at both ends but, TT came to play! |
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n/a
deleted
4809 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2010 : 04:36:37
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This last game was exactly what it looked like . . . the probably division winner, a very deep team, beating a scrappy Leafs team 2-0 at home. And needing their goalie to play very well (not great, I wouldn't go that far) to pull it off.
Boston will be a tough team to beat this year, even without Savard in the line-up. Their defence is stifling, and they do not give up any odd-man rushes, and they are quite physical.
Great physical game though.
"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug |
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Porkchop73
PickupHockey Pro
640 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2010 : 09:28:25
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| Anybody have insight into that nasty little scrap between Phaneuf and Horton. It was not a good scrap by any means but you can tell there was some real ill will towards each other. |
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Awesome One
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
505 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2010 : 07:45:01
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Never ever Pasty!!
There was once a license plate in Toronto that abbreviated "Go Leafs" it read "Golfs". |
Edited by - Awesome One on 10/30/2010 07:45:26 |
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Guest2258
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Posted - 10/31/2010 : 00:33:56
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this is gonna be the top eight teams in my opinion first to last each confrence
east - 1st tampa 2nd pittsburgh 3rd montreal 4th phily 5th washington 6th boston 7th ny island the 8th spot will be a battle between atl tro and car ...watch
west 1st detroit 2nd vancouver 3rd sanjose 4th chi 5th la kings 6th st louis 7th colorado 8th fight between dallas , nash , calgary. |
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The Duke
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1239 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2010 : 17:06:31
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Beans, make all the fun you want with the Sean Pronger remark, seems like all your posts are based on stats anyway. As top playoff performers say ...stats are for losers.
Maybe you are not even old enough to remember Pronger play when he was young. Pronger was very eratic when he was in his early twenties. He was constantly out of position, always going out of his way to take hits, had a hot temper, easily led into confrontations and ALWAYS took very dumb penalities.
Pronger did go on to become one of the very best defenseman to ever skate on ice, but he certainly wasn`t at a young age. |
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nuxfan
PickupHockey All-Star
3670 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2010 : 20:35:19
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quote:
As top playoff performers say ...stats are for losers.
The irony is, most top playoff performers have pretty awesome stats
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2010 : 21:12:39
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Hey Duke, don't trip over yourself as you back pedal. Your post stated clearly,
Pronger did all the things Phaneuf is doing now when he was 24 - 25....i know, i remember.
All I said was that when Pronger was 25, he won the Norris, Hart, and was 1st team All Star. So maybe your age is making your memory a little less than what it once was?? I mean, Pronger was playing in the Olympics at 25. Where was Phaneuf??? Pronger was winning awards and catagorically known as one of the top, elite defensemen in the NHL. Pronger was a bit of a meatball off the ice when he was much younger (like 18-21) but he was always one of the top players on the ice.
I know. I remember.
And who says 'stats are for losers?" I have never heard that in all of my 12 years on this earth. I have heard that 42% of all stats means nothing, but that's just a guess.
What are we talking about again. |
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Guest2233
( )
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Posted - 11/01/2010 : 13:30:11
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Beans don`t forget that when Pronger was learning his way in the league he had AL Maclnnis by his side....oh yes i remember, my memory isn`t that bad, not a bad tudor !!
How do you think Phaneuf would look with MacLnnis by his side, day in and day out ?? MacLnnis was one of the best to ever play the game. |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2010 : 13:37:24
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MacInnis was one of the best what??? Pure shooters, yes. Pure defensive players?? Not on your life. The guy made his money by dropping bombs from the blue line on the PP. That was his bread and butter and ultimately, Pronger did not turn out to be that kind of player at all.
Let's not talk like Phaneuf had pylons playing with him. Regher in his prime, Bouwmeester for 1/2 a season, Hamrlik to name a few.
Regardless, who Pronger or Phaneuf played with is irrelevant. The comparison is laughable. |
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bananas
Top Prospect
26 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2010 : 14:26:09
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| As someone from the West who has watched Phaneuf play for a few years, give him the rest of the season. Eventually you'll wish you kept all that garbage you shipped off to Calgary. |
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The Duke
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1239 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2010 : 15:36:29
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bananas...at least you agree that what the leafs shipped out west is garbage..lol
Beans there is no debate here...Pronger is still and has been for years my favorite NHL defenseman.
When comparing Phaneuf to Pronger, i`m not saying that Phaneuf is as good as or ever will be as good as Pronger. I`ll compare these two guys for some similatities, they are both big, strong , tough, have a good shot and both play with an edge.
Pronger clearly has been THE BEST NHL defenseman for the last decade....more clearly i`ll state, there is one and only one Pronger, hope i don`t have to make myself any clearer on how i feel about Chris Pronger any more.
It`s so easy to take some-ones comments and twist and twist them until they sound like it`s something they actually said. When you read my earlier post did you read the opening sentence which said...Phaneuf ain`t no Pronger i know...??? or did you totally ignore that part for some reason ??
Why is it when you write Pronger played in the olympics it is supposed to mean something, but when i say how good AL Maclnnis was who ALSO played international hockey with team Canada on every level possible ( a shoe in i might add ), Maclinnis is a bag of bones who could only shoot the puck hard.
Beans i don`t like bashing people but it seems to me you are a leaf hater who just picks holes in leaf fans comments. Toronto finally are getting some real hockey players, ( and some good ones in the system ) and it seems to me that some people don`t like it very much, well tough titty, they are only getting started. |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2010 : 15:45:38
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MacInnis was, in many respects, a bag of bone who could shoot the puck. It wasn't a fluke that his team mates called him "chopper" when he was a rookie because he could hardly skate. If MacInnis didn't have his shot I would argue that he would have been a marginal NHL at best.
Regardless, you are right. I admit it 100%. I can't stand the Leafs. However, I am an equal opportunity debaters. I will poke holes in any argument I disagree with, regardless of the team the poster cheers for. And when statements are made like "Pronger did all the things Phaneuf is doing now when he was 24 - 25....i know, i remember.", well, it makes it pretty easy to poke holes in.
What is it that the Leafs are doing now?? Oh, playing .500 hockey. Cool. I can handle that. |
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bananas
Top Prospect
26 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2010 : 17:05:46
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The reason leaf haters, in this case beans, have to pick apart the comments of leaf fans, other than the fact that it's fun, is because leaf fans are always so overly optomistic about their players. I don't think the Phaneuf trade was that bad because, like I said before all they gave away was garbage, but then leaf fans start to insinuate that Phaneuf is the next Pronger and somebody has to call BS on that. Dion just isn't that good.
The only guy I see who can live up to the hype he gets is Kessel and as good as he is, its still going to sting watching Boston for the next 10 years. |
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TheRC
Rookie
105 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2010 : 19:46:46
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Bananas hits the nail on the head. I'm a Leaf fan, and from talking to other Leaf fans on a regular basis, I can tell you that a statistically significant number of my fellow Leaf fans are completely delusional. Few examples:
Guys like Versteeg and Armstrong were quality role players on other teams... therefore they should become stars in Toronto? Doubtful, especially considering the number of decent players who have crumpled under the pressure of playing in this city.
Rookies like Kadri show flashes of brilliance... therefore call them up ASAP and watch them thrive? Again, yeah right. It's easy to be a top prospect in an organization that has spent the past several decades trading away most prospects of any worth.
Phaneuf had a few great seasons a few years ago in a different organization... therefore he is the next Chris Pronger? Laughable. Big physical presence? Check. Clutch on the PP? Nope. Shuts down opposing super-stars? He might, if he's not caught up ice laying a big hit, but, then again, he might not. So... what exactly makes him a Pronger? Being big? Well, in that case give him $6mil a year and the C, cause he sure is big.
Kessel is the only genuine star on that team, but even then, Bananas, somehow I doubt Boston is going to worry too much, Seguin should end up being just as valuable.
"If at first you don't succeed, you fail" |
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nuxfan
PickupHockey All-Star
3670 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2010 : 23:16:36
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I read an article the other day about how Kessel should be considered an early candidate for the Hart trophy. After what, 8 games? I think the press is nearly as bad as the delusional fans...
quote:
MacInnis was, in many respects, a bag of bone who could shoot the puck. It wasn't a fluke that his team mates called him "chopper" when he was a rookie because he could hardly skate. If MacInnis didn't have his shot I would argue that he would have been a marginal NHL at best.
I grew up watching and cheering the Flames thru the 80's, and loved MacInnis. Beans is correct in that he started very slow - the Flames drafted him for his shot (which didn't dissapoint), but he was a pretty crap skater and a pretty shoddy defensive dman in his first few NHL seasons. If MacInnis didn't have his shot, he probably would not have been an NHL defensman period.
However, he did improve in the latter areas, and became a better than average defender by the end of it all. While still putting up remarkable points of course. He was nominated for the Norris more than once. |
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ToXXiK1
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
696 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 02:19:09
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Leaf fans get what they see with Phaneuf. Big, often clumsy, go for the hit kinda guy. Question is, is he worth the 6.5m per? I say no, money would've been well spent more re-signing Kabs.
Period. |
Edited by - ToXXiK1 on 11/02/2010 02:20:45 |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 08:39:26
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quote:
Originally posted by ToXXiK1
Leaf fans get what they see with Phaneuf. Big, often clumsy, go for the hit kinda guy. Question is, is he worth the 6.5m per? I say no, money would've been well spent more re-signing Kabs.
Period.
Now, for as much as I bag on Dion Phaneuf, one has to remember that this guy does have more goals than any other defensemen in the NHL since the lock out. Furthermore, you know exactly what you will get offensively from Phaneuf. He has, up until last season, had seasons of 49, 50, 60, and 47 points and 20, 17, 17, and 11 goals.
That is why he gets paid $6+ million dollars. There are only a small handful of defensemen in the NHL that will consistantly put up 50+ points and even few players that will do it with 15+ goals.
The reason I bag on Phaneuf so much is because he is so physically and offensively gifted, his decision making defensively is frustrating. The guy has the chops to win the Norris for the next decade if his brain could thing the game defensively even 1/2 as well as he can think offensively.
Any when has Phaneuf ever been clumsy?? I would disagree completely. For a guy of his size and strength he is incredibly mobile and fast. |
Edited by - Beans15 on 11/02/2010 10:06:24 |
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Alex116
PickupHockey Legend
6113 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 09:58:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Beans15
The guy has the chops to win the Norris for the next decade if his brain could thing the game defensively even 1/2 as well as he can think offensively.
Any when has Phaneuf ever been clumsy?? I would disagree completely. For a guy of his size and strength he is incredibly mobile and fast.
Well then, perhaps Wilson should put him up front? Maybe he's the #1 center they've been looking for so badly? |
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nuxfan
PickupHockey All-Star
3670 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 10:22:31
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Alex, you're not far off... I was watching the Leafs game last Saturday, and they actually were using Phaneuf in front of the net on the PP, Byfuglien-style. I didn't think Phaneuf looked too comfortable there, and by the 3rd period he was back on the point launching wicked bombs at the net.
Having seen Phaneuf play a lot during his time in Calgary (at least 7 times a year vs Vancouver), I can agree with Beans that he is a very good defenseman. he can skate, hit, shows poise and patience bringing the puck out of his zone under pressure, and is a very good PP quarterback with an awesome shot from the point. And, no, he is not clumsy. Leafs fans, he gets paid 6M+ a year for a reason, and would be a top pair dman on any team in the league.
His achilles heel - defensive play, which seems a little odd when talking about one of the best defensemen in the league. Others have mentioned it - he goes out of position to make a big hit, he will pinch at the wrong times, he'll try a cross-ice pass that will get picked off from time to time for a breakaway. Phaneuf is an offensively-minded defenseman, and probably will always be such. |
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ToXXiK1
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
696 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 10:51:51
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I was referring to clumsy play, not clumsy skater. I haven't watched a lot of Leaf hockey, but, what I have seen is Dion pinching several times causing 3 on 1's and 2 on 1's for bad decisions. I've seen him chasing instead of playing positional.
Like I said, i'm not a Dion expert or fan, so I reserve the right to say he ain't worth 6mil. What i've seen in my limited watching, he's a defensive liability. |
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Alex116
PickupHockey Legend
6113 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 11:01:33
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It amazes me that all of us "experts" here on PUH can agree that his main weakness is his defensive liability, especially when taking himself out of position to land a crushing hit. Are we all wrong? If not, how is it that coaches (more than 1 i might add) have not been able to reel him in? How tough would it be to train the guy to not even bother with hits, unless they were the obvious ones, until he learned the timing thing a bit better?
If that is all that's wrong with this guys game, sooner or later you'd have to expect him to learn from his mistakes and become the beast of an all around dman he has the potential to be!!! |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 13:31:37
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For the same reason why Kaberle is not a defensive player, it's not his skills. Good coaches play to a players skills and do not try to make a players something they are not. It would be like trying to make Ovechkin a 2 way forward. It would be a waste of a gifted offensive player.
Phaneuf is what he is. He's and offensive defensemen who plays on the edge and because of that he will cause 2 on 1's. However, take away his edge and you might not get 50 points a year out of him either. |
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Alex116
PickupHockey Legend
6113 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 14:43:45
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| I kinda get what you mean Beans, but i really don't think the "edge" he plays with has a lot to do with his offensive point totals. Most of the points he gets are from his outlet passes and PP time. How, being physical and playing with an edge affects that i'm not sure? I think that those attributes should help him defensively whereby a forward would be reluctant to go into a corner with him or would be worried about crossing the blueline without his head on a swivel? But, it is his defense we've been saying is not great so maybe the answer for him would be to play softer ? |
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TheRC
Rookie
105 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 14:55:46
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Phaneuf is already a minus 6. For a guy who is treated as a top defender, and gets a ton of powerplay time, that's an awful number for this early in the season, and I can recall just off the top of my head 4 or 5 of those minuses that are entirely his fault. At this rate the guy is going to need to seriously start racking up the points just to make up for the games they have lost due to his stupidity.
I don't care how many points a defender puts up if he can't defend, but if you're going to play a guy like that, limit him to the powerplay and when the other team is on the defensive. I guess Ron Wilson couldn't really get away with using his $6.5 million a year captain for 10-12 minutes a night though, could he? That's a shame, as far as I'm concerned, because the Leafs have plenty of other defensemen who can, you know, defend.
"If at first you don't succeed, you fail" |
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nuxfan
PickupHockey All-Star
3670 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 15:06:10
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quote:
Phaneuf is already a minus 6. For a guy who is treated as a top defender, and gets a ton of powerplay time, that's an awful number for this early in the season, and I can recall just off the top of my head 4 or 5 of those minuses that are entirely his fault. At this rate the guy is going to need to seriously start racking up the points just to make up for the games they have lost due to his stupidity.
I don't care how many points a defender puts up if he can't defend, but if you're going to play a guy like that, limit him to the powerplay and when the other team is on the defensive. I guess Ron Wilson couldn't really get away with using his $6.5 million a year captain for 10-12 minutes a night though, could he? That's a shame, as far as I'm concerned, because the Leafs have plenty of other defensemen who can, you know, defend.
Phaneuf is playing the same way this year in TOR as he did in CGY for the past 3 years. The only difference is TOR doesn't have Regher, Bouwemeester, Giordano, and Sarich to back him up when he throws caution to the wind for the big hit or the ill-advised pinch - they have Schenn, Komisarek and then a whole pile of nobody. |
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Alex116
PickupHockey Legend
6113 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 15:07:52
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quote:
Originally posted by TheRC
Phaneuf is already a minus 6. For a guy who is treated as a top defender, and gets a ton of powerplay time, that's an awful number for this early in the season,
PP time does not count towards +/-. He can score 50 pp goals and it's not gonna help that stat! |
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bananas
Top Prospect
26 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 15:24:18
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quote:
Originally posted by nuxfan
quote:
Phaneuf is already a minus 6. For a guy who is treated as a top defender, and gets a ton of powerplay time, that's an awful number for this early in the season, and I can recall just off the top of my head 4 or 5 of those minuses that are entirely his fault. At this rate the guy is going to need to seriously start racking up the points just to make up for the games they have lost due to his stupidity.
I don't care how many points a defender puts up if he can't defend, but if you're going to play a guy like that, limit him to the powerplay and when the other team is on the defensive. I guess Ron Wilson couldn't really get away with using his $6.5 million a year captain for 10-12 minutes a night though, could he? That's a shame, as far as I'm concerned, because the Leafs have plenty of other defensemen who can, you know, defend.
Phaneuf is playing the same way this year in TOR as he did in CGY for the past 3 years. The only difference is TOR doesn't have Regher, Bouwemeester, Giordano, and Sarich to back him up when he throws caution to the wind for the big hit or the ill-advised pinch - they have Schenn, Komisarek and then a whole pile of nobody.
Komisarek should be at the bottom of that "whole pile of nobody". While I don't think Phaneuf is that great a player, offensive defenseman are at least unique talents. Komisarek brings nothing. He can't score, not good defensively, is afraid of Milan Lucic. The biggest problem the leafs have is they have too much money tied up in their defence and the single best move they could make would be to get rid of Komisarek and free up that $4.5 mil. |
Edited by - bananas on 11/02/2010 16:59:48 |
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nuxfan
PickupHockey All-Star
3670 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2010 : 17:21:44
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I don't think its a case of having too much tied up on your defense, its just a case of who you're spending it on.
- Phaneuf: 6.5
- Komisarek: 4.5
- Kaberle: 4.25
- Beauchemin - 3.8
- Schenn - .875 (+bonus)
- Lebda - 1.45
- Gunnarson - .800
That works out to roughly 20M for your entire back end. You have to think that Kaberle is off the books next year, but Schenn will be RFA and will probably sign for ~2M/year on a 2 or 3 year deal - so your top 6 will be 18-19M next year.
18-22M is roughly where most teams fall for spending on defense. VAN spends 23M, but I think they have amassed one of the best defensive groups in the league (no doubt some will argue that).
So, the Leafs are spending the right amount of money - perhaps just not on the right group. We'll see what they do over the summer, once the Kaberle deal is up and they have some room to sign players. |
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The 2010/11 Toronto Maple Leafs 
