TSN: Dion almost signed? Mod warning post #277

[SprDaVE]

Expecting perfection from Phaneuf is exactly what some of you do not seem to understand.

As much as he can mistakes, even the best defensemen in the league will make mistakes. Just keep watching Weber, Chara and whoever you think is the best in the league and you'll see a lot more mistakes then you think.

So Phaneuf will have his bad moments and he will make mistakes but you can't ****ing turn a blind eye to all the things he does great just because he had one bad mistake.

 

[diceman934]

That entire sequence was all on Gunnar.

Gunnar made a soft pass to keep the puck in the zone, but Dion made the biggest mistake by chasing behind the net when Gunnar was already there..

McClements is also a little to blame as you teach players to come towards the pass and McClements just anchors the wall waiting for Gunnars pass.

 

[Phelan]

You have your opinion, I have mine.

If you can't call out a player for making a bad play, then your opinion isn't worth much.

 

[jmart21]

If you can't call out a player for making a bad play, then your opinion isn't worth much.

I did. Gunnar made a series of bad decisions.

Just because my opinion is different than yours doesn't mean it's invalid.

 

[William Nylander*]

I don't get what all the bickering on signing Phaneuf is about. He's clearly our best defenceman and we would be nowhere near a playoff spot without him logging so many minutes against the other teams star forwards.

Once guys like Rielly and Percy step up, then you can trade him for help in other positions. Until then, you keep him.

 

[jmart21]

Gunnar made a soft pass to keep the puck in the zone, but Dion made the biggest mistake by chasing behind the net when Gunnar was already there..

McClements is also a little to blame as you teach players to come towards the pass and McClements just anchors the wall waiting for Gunnars pass.

Gunnar wasn't "already there". He was out of postion, tango'ing with the wrong guy in the corner.

Dion has 2 options: follow or go to the front. In hindsight he probably should have gone to the front. But hindsight is 20/20. Lets say Dion goes to the front and Hanzal doesn't wrap around. Completely different scenario.

Why haven't you brought up the desicions of others? Gunnar's desicion to take himself out of the play? Reimer's decision to not poke check?

 

[Duke Silver]

I have to laugh at people criticizing Dion for following his man behind the net on the goal that falls entirely 100% on Reimer's shoulders.

 

[bobbyflex]

i don't know what happened to Gunnar. He's probably the weakest link right now excluding Fraser/Ranger

 

[number72]

Expecting perfection from Phaneuf is exactly what some of you do not seem to understand.

As much as he can mistakes, even the best defensemen in the league will make mistakes. Just keep watching Weber, Chara and whoever you think is the best in the league and you'll see a lot more mistakes then you think.

So Phaneuf will have his bad moments and he will make mistakes but you can't ****ing turn a blind eye to all the things he does great just because he had one bad mistake.

All great dmen make mistakes, but Phaneuf makes more mistakes (and allows more shots against) when the leafs are protecting the lead compared to the average NHL defenseman. The point is Phaneuf is out of his element as a shutdown defender. Phaneuf can match the offensive of elite NHL defenseman but is average defensibly.

 

[jmart21]

I have to laugh at people criticizing Dion for following his man behind the net on the goal that falls entirely 100% on Reimer's shoulders.

I get my laughs simply at the fact that every single GA we have; someone is to blame and that means they are no good.

We've got people here arguing that this goal speaks to:
-Dion being no good.
-Gunnar being no good.
-Reimer being no good.

GA happen. Every player makes mistakes and this isn't exclusive to TML, Dion, Gunnar or Reimer. Chara, Keith, Weber, Suter have been on the ice for a GA. Rask, Price, Lundqvist all give up goals.

**** happens and people need to stop over analyzing every minute detail.

 

[Hibachi]

It was a soft goal, Dion did what he was supposed to, you should never allow a goal from that position Hanzel was in. Its over and done with, we got 2 points, Reimer redeemed himself in the shootout.

If Dion went to the front of the net, there could be 5 different scenarios where it could of cost us a goal as well. You guys are playing the what if game, and that doesn't work in hockey.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I get my laughs simply at the fact that every single GA we have; someone is to blame and that means they are no good.

We've got people here arguing that this goal speaks to:
-Dion being no good.
-Gunnar being no good.
-Reimer being no good.

GA happen. Every player makes mistakes and this isn't exclusive to TML, Dion, Gunnar or Reimer. Chara, Keith, Weber, Suter have been on the ice for a GA. Rask, Price, Lundqvist all give up goals.

**** happens and people need to stop over analyzing every minute detail.

Truth.

People zeroing in on one single play as proof that Phaneuf sucks? Oh yeah, Reimer sucks too because he was scored on once last night. Incredible. So much idiocy in this thread. The mind boggles.

 

[wulfio*]

Expecting perfection from Phaneuf is exactly what some of you do not seem to understand.

As much as he can mistakes, even the best defensemen in the league will make mistakes. Just keep watching Weber, Chara and whoever you think is the best in the league and you'll see a lot more mistakes then you think.

So Phaneuf will have his bad moments and he will make mistakes but you can't ****ing turn a blind eye to all the things he does great just because he had one bad mistake.

you putting Phaneuf in the same sentence as Weber is comical.

 

[Duke Silver]

I get my laughs simply at the fact that every single GA we have; someone is to blame and that means they are no good.

We've got people here arguing that this goal speaks to:
-Dion being no good.
-Gunnar being no good.
-Reimer being no good.

GA happen. Every player makes mistakes and this isn't exclusive to TML, Dion, Gunnar or Reimer. Chara, Keith, Weber, Suter have been on the ice for a GA. Rask, Price, Lundqvist all give up goals.

**** happens and people need to stop over analyzing every minute detail.

I agree with that to an extent.

However I personally never said anything about Reimer being no good. Just defending Dion for a goal that was completely savable by Reimer. Nobody would be kicking up a stink about Dion's abilities had Reimer made the pad save. That's it and that's all.

 

[jmart21]

I agree with that to an extent.

However I personally never said anything about Reimer being no good. Just defending Dion for a goal that was completely savable by Reimer. Nobody would be kicking up a stink about Dion's abilities had Reimer made the pad save. That's it and that's all.

Should have clarified: I wasn't targeting you about the Reimer part (wasn't talking about your Reimer post).

bolded is so, so, so true.

 

[SprDaVE]

All great dmen make mistakes, but Phaneuf makes more mistakes (and allows more shots against) when the leafs are protecting the lead compared to the average NHL defenseman.

Uh, no he doesn't. That's a clear exaggeration. The assumption you made here makes it pretty clear that you don't watch much NHL other than the Leafs.

The point is Phaneuf is out of his element as a shutdown defender. Phaneuf can match the offensive of elite NHL defenseman but is average defensibly.

Perhaps he is out his element but why is that his fault? He clearly needs a partner and someone that can play the amount of minutes he does. We do not have a defenseman that can play in situations like he does and not skip a beat.

He's been great this year and while some fans, for some reason, harp on the mistakes he doesn't get nearly enough credit for the amount of things he has done great. It's fascinating to see the amount of hate he gets. It blows my mind.

I think his offensive game has been lacking a lot more than his defensive game. His problem right now for me is that he's not consistent enough in his offensive game, just like the rest of our defence. Phaneuf, however, has been great defensively --- can't say the same about the other 6 or 7 defensemen. Again, it blows my mind that you think he's great offensively while being average defensively... this is the bipolar opposite of his problem right now.

He isn't a top 5-10 defenseman, that's clear. He's certainly a top 20 guy though.

 

[SprDaVE]

you putting Phaneuf in the same sentence as Weber is comical.

It's even funnier that you clearly didn't understand my point. Good job.

 

[wulfio*]

Perhaps he is out his element but why is that his fault? He clearly needs a partner and someone that can play the amount of minutes he does. We do not have a defenseman that can play in situations like he does and not skip a beat.

He's been great this year and while some fans, for some reason, harp on the mistakes he doesn't get nearly enough credit for the amount of things he has done great. It's fascinating to see the amount of hate he gets. It blows my mind.

I think his offensive game has been lacking a lot more than his defensive game. His problem right now for me is that he's not consistent enough in his offensive game, just like the rest of our defence. Phaneuf, however, has been great defensively --- can't say the same about the other 6 or 7 defensemen.

yes dave, because he can't excel at the role of a #1 dman, we should be happy because even though he's not among the best, he's serviceable. And since this is Toronto, cap shmap.

 

[SprDaVE]

yes dave, because he can't excel at the role of a #1 dman. We should be happy because even though he's not among the best, he's serviceable. And since this is Toronto, cap shmap.

He's been playing well as the #1 dman. The problem here is that he doesn't have a #2.

Gunnarsson, Gardiner, Franson, Rielly, and rest have all struggled this year with inconsistency, some badly. They cannot quite handle the 20+ minutes that Phaneuf regularly gets.

We should be happy because he's been great. He clearly has been playing as a top defender but some can't see it. A matter of opinion.

Am I saying sign him to a huge contract? No. I'm saying he's been great and has been great for quite sometime here. Like always, there's always a limit to what you can pay someone in a cap world.

 

[ACC1224]

All great dmen make mistakes, but Phaneuf makes more mistakes (and allows more shots against) when the leafs are protecting the lead compared to the average NHL defenseman. The point is Phaneuf is out of his element as a shutdown defender. Phaneuf can match the offensive of elite NHL defenseman but is average defensibly.

Where do they track these "mistakes"? How many does the "average NHL defenseman" make in comparison to Phaneuf?

 

[ACC1224]

He's been playing well as the #1 dman. The problem here is that he doesn't have a #2.

Gunnarsson, Gardiner, Franson, Rielly, and rest have all struggled this year with inconsistency. They cannot quite handle the 20+ minutes that Phaneuf regularly gets.

We should be happy because he's been great. He clear has been playing as a top defender but some can't see it. A matter of opinion.

Everyone gets this but a select redundant few.

 

[jmart21]

Everyone gets this but a select redundant few.

I'd add to that the he also has no 2nd pairing to rely on.

A serviceable No2 pairing could help ease some of the load off our top pairing.

 

[AustonMitchWilly]

Dion is watched 82 games a year by the most hot button, unrealistic fanbase per year.All #1 Dmen make mistakes.

If you dont see other D's mistakes, you dont want enough of their games. Hell, OEL made some mistakes last night too.

Dion is a bonafide #1 Dman. He is not offensively driven, so our #2 guy needs to be. This is often a role reversal from typical 1-2s and probably the reason why a lot of people dont understand it.

He is worth 6.5-7.5 and I will be happy when he re-signs somewhere in that amount.

 

[hockeystick89]

I think the problem is that he doesn't have a #1.

 

[DD03]

Blame O'Byrne, Blame Reimer....



Blame Reimer, Blame Bozak...



Now show me even one instance of Suter, Chara, Keith, Weber, etc. committing at least one, similarly catastrophically bad play, let alone more, in similar circumstances to Phaneuf and I'll give you a list of excuses as to why it is not their fault.

Challenge accepted!



Chara gets absolutely dangled.



Suter pinches in poorly, completely misses the puck. Look what happens..

I could continue, but I just want you to understand these things happen when you're playing 25+ minutes a night, especially as bad as the rest of the Leafs defenders are after Dion Phaneuf in the depth chart.