GDT: #17 | Flyers at Senators | Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 7:00 PM | NBCSP, 97.5 FM

[deadhead]

Who said what for a decade?

I don't remember anyone saying Sanheim was going to be a first pair D-man, much less a #1.

People liked him better than Provorov, but that was as much people being disillusioned with Provorov (b/c he flatlined) than anything else.

Sanheim's skating was never in doubt, but his first few years he was a lanky D-man who struggled in his D-zone b/c he could be pushed off the puck.

I don't remember anyone projecting he'd fill out to the extent he has and become a top two way D-man. That's probably the hardest thing to project in a young player, how their body will change between 18 to 25. Provorov peaked physically at 19, for example.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Who said what for a decade?

I don't remember anyone saying Sanheim was going to be a first pair D-man, much less a #1.

People liked him better than Provorov, but that was as much people being disillusioned with Provorov (b/c he flatlined) than anything else.

Sanheim's skating was never in doubt, but his first few years he was a lanky D-man who struggled in his D-zone b/c he could be pushed off the puck.

I don't remember anyone projecting he'd fill out to the extent he has and become a top two way D-man. That's probably the hardest thing to project in a young player, how their body will change between 18 to 25. Provorov peaked physically at 19, for example.

You remember wrong. This was way before Provorov flatlined. And I don't mean me.

There were people saying that Sanheim was the top pair guy when he was still in Calgary. And I mean his D+1, not even the record-setting D+2. That's 2014-15. The two I always remember are @FLYguy3911 and @Stizzle because that's the generation that quickly made me understand how filled with bullshit the hockey prospecting media and process was. There were definitely others, but those two were the loudest. I remember their patience in explaining these things to a dope (me) all too well.

 

[Magua]

We were still playing the “Ristolainen is responsible for Sanheim’s success” game last season.

You can argue his pre-age 22 trajectory however you want. It’s going to involve hypotheticals. But by age 22, after Hakstol was fired, he was a top pair level ES player — at worst, well on his way. And that is not where the funny business stopped with him, team and fans alike.

 

[freakydallas13]

The audacity it takes to come here and accuse posters here of not believing in Sanheim after a decade of shit posts to the contrary is insane. Off the charts level chutzpah.

 

[deadhead]

Believe in him as what?
A speedy offense first D-man? I think that was obvious years ago.
Or a true two way franchise D-man?

I think playing 20+ minutes a night at ES with plus possession metrics, top 30 scoring and anchoring a top PK qualifies him as a franchise D-man. Key will be sustaining this play over 82 games.
1st in ES minutes per game, 26th in points/60 at ES.

His minutes took a big jump in 2021-22, but his play fell off, same the next season.
It didn't help being paired with Risto, he was better in 2022-23 paired with aging Braun.
But I also think it took him time to get used to the physical demands of playing on the first pair.

Right now he's playing too many minutes, when York returns hopefully he'll go back to 25 a night, which I think is the max for most D-men.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Sanheim was a consensus 1st pair dman early on and was always considered the better prospect overall here. This is some kind of a reverse Struggle Session where one community members tortures everyone else.

Sanheim has always been one of those rare prospects that are too good to completely fail out. Lord knows this team has done absolutely all they can to see if they can get him to fail, though.