How good was prime/peak Kevin Hatcher?

[Cloned]

Didn't really have a chance to follow him during his prime. Was he a dominant franchise-level d-man in his prime? A tier below?

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

A tier below a franchise defenseman, but just one tier below. Had a stretch from 1990-91 to 1992-93 when he finished 6th, 7th, 4th in Norris voting in consecutive seasons. Had every tool to be a superstar, but lacked the "toolbox" to put it all together and was known for making some spectacularly boneheaded mistakes. Still, he was good enough to play massive amounts of minutes for some pretty strong teams.

Definitely more talented than his brother (mainly due to his skating), but lacked the killer instinct.

 

[BenchBrawl]

About the same level as Andrei Markov, but a different style.

 

[Voight]

Underrated in a sense, Derian always got the attention even tho you can make the argument Kevin is better.

 

[Cloned]

Thanks all.

What kind of style did he play? I'm looking at his size and offensive numbers, and all I get is this image of an offensive juggernaut who was physical to boot. That's probably too imaginative on my part though considering his Norris-voting finishes and lack of significant mention on this board.

 

[BenchBrawl]

^Yes, but like TheDevilMadeMe said, his IQ/tools ratio was small.So he was a good skater for his size, he had offensive tools.But he didn't have the IQ necessary to become a monster #1 defenseman who brings a calming presence and who controls the pace of the game.Maybe Subban is a good comparison,except not as good as Subban.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

^Yes, but like TheDevilMadeMe said, his IQ/tools ratio was small.

Yes, he was basically a Phaneuf-type, though his prime was longer.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Yes, he was basically a Phaneuf-type, though his prime was longer.

See my edit.I like the Phaneuf comparison.Added Subban.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

some good answers here-- http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/kevin-hatcher.1269727/

 

[FerrisRox]

About the same level as Andrei Markov, but a different style.

I would say Andrei Markov was a significantly better player than Kevin Hatcher.

Kevin Hatcher was very much like Sheldon Souray. Big, could be physical when he wanted, great, heavy shot and solid ability get pucks on net but poor defensively.

The difference between Souray and Hatcher was IQ. Hatcher was not terribly bright and that definitely was apparent in his decision making.