Did Dion Phaneuf live up to the hype?

[BLNY]

He was really only a single Dion, so no.

 

[Beau Knows]

I think he lived up to the draft hype but not the hype after his rookie season.

Agreed. For a 9th overall pick, 1000 games played and 2 first team all-star selections is hard to complain about.

His rookie season made him look like he could be a Chris Pronger level of player. Obviously that didn't pan out.

 

[heretik27]

Went with sort of, he peaked early on and then was an average top 4 dman which isn't really anything bad, he just wasn't a franchise level player for his career. I'd say he was probably similar in early development, but a bit better career-wise than someone like Tyler Myers.

 

[coooldude]

I remember.

It was the middle of their rookie season.

Pierre McGuire was asked which of the 3 super rookies he would want to build around.

“No disrespect to the other two but this has to be Dion Phaneuf.”

Oh man, what a legendary bad take. Add it on to the pile for Pierre.

 

[lawrence]

he had a very very good rookie season, but he wasn't really able to capitalize on that. It felt like for example, the Canucks figured him out, ok fine. that's normal. You want to zero in on certain players. But he just didn't really "get better" he peaked at a very young age, and didn't really get better. I wont even use Shea Weber, even Seabrooks game developed fine, of course he's no norris, jay bouwmeesters game developed ok, but Phaneufs game really didn't.

 

[PeteWorrell]

He peaked early because of his poor IQ. His physical tools allowed him to show good things early on but then, opponents figured him out.

He had a decent and long career so we can say he succeeded in those aspects.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

But after his WJC and his rookie season there were a ton of people expecting a future Norris winner which in that sense he didn’t come close to that hype

Technically he did come close to that hype given he was a Norris finalist.

 

[MessierII]

Early on he probably exceeded it. Didn’t ever take that next step though.

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Dion suffered a hairline fracture in his hip sometime during the 2008-09 season.

His skating was never the same after that - it was still NHL level, but his explosiveness evaporated.

He also suffered at least one major leg laceration in Toronto, and who knows how many concussions - I can recall two specifically in Calgary, and he must have had more after he left.

He had a career everyone would love to have, but for a guy who was the third Calder nominee along with Sid and Ovie, he didn’t reach the heights that were promised.

 

[TheFinalWord]

I would argue no and at end of things I would put Seabrook at #14 as a guy who had a better career as well

He didn't have the high-end offensive peak that Phaneuf had his first years in NHL, but Seabrook had much better/longer performance as top defender then Phaneuf

Phaneuf career

1,048 games
137 goals
357 assists
494 pts
-57

55 playoff games
7 goals (1 overtime GWG)
14 assists
21 pts
-22

Seabrook career with Hawks

1,114 games
103 goals
361 assists
464 pts
+111

123 playoff games
20 goals (3 overtime GWG)
39 assists
59 pts
+8

Flames would have been better off drafting Seabrook at #9 IMO

You may be right, but Seabrook was always the #2 guy behind Keith. How would Phaneuf have looked if he was paired with Keith for a chunk of his career? It may then (or may not) have been a different story.