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Captain Phaneuf

Nik said:
Zee said:
OK, but it just stresses the point that Phaneuf is the best the Leafs have, and even other coaches realize it.
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Well A) Tortorella says "Gunnarson and Phaneuf" so it doesn't really stress that at all and B) even if it did I don't think most of the criticism Phaneuf has faced has been about his place in the Leafs depth chart.
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no, Tortorella said Phaneuf and never mentioned Gunnarson when was talking about line matching. I feel like Phaneuf will never get fair credit for he does no matter how he plays. He is having a great season and a big reason why we are in playoff spot. Think about all those last minute one goal games we are able to hold on to.
And here is a link to Torts interview after Leafs game. http://video.rangers.nhl.com/videocenter/  - about Nash's match up: "Phaneuf. Every time Phaneuf was on the ice yeah so"
Btw, I know he gets a lot of heat for being arrogant and stuff but wow they ask him dumb questions...
 
Potvin29 said:
Of d-men who have played at least 20 games, Phaneuf has the 3rd toughest quality of competition as defined by behindthenet.ca.  On top of that he's 5th in scoring for D.  He's having a very solid season.
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But he had 1 giveaway the other day, so he still sucks.  >:(

/sarcasm
 
CoachKirill said:
no, Tortorella said Phaneuf and never mentioned Gunnarson when was talking about line matching.
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Fair enough. I wasn't referring to something he actually said but rather the article linked to and what it attributed to him.
 
Potvin29 said:
Of d-men who have played at least 20 games, Phaneuf has the 3rd toughest quality of competition as defined by behindthenet.ca.  On top of that he's 5th in scoring for D.  He's having a very solid season.
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I've actually come around on Phaneuf over the last year or so.  At first I looked at his salary and his reputation when we first got him and I was expecting him to dominate on most nights with big hits and timely goals.  But as I've seen him play more and evolve I can appreciate what he's bringing night in and night out against tough competition.  He is having a very good season right now, I think much of it has to do with being paired with someone responsible like Gunnarson.  He's played very well lately after getting away from guys like Kotska and Holzer.
 
I've been pretty critical of Phaneuf in the past, even earlier in the season, but I've made a point of watching him more closely over the last few games and I admit that I've been impressed.  He's been playing a tight game lately, and his job is anything but easy.  Plus he's been solid with points, and has generally been pretty dangerous on the PP.  I'll have to keep watching closely before I can really say anything with confidence, but I think I may have been a little too quick to judge.
 
Potvin29 said:
Of d-men who have played at least 20 games, Phaneuf has the 3rd toughest quality of competition as defined by behindthenet.ca.  On top of that he's 5th in scoring for D.  He's having a very solid season.
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Yes he is.  I declared in an argument some days ago that he's not even in the top 20 or 25 dmen in general -- but this season he certainly is, there's no denying it.  For whatever reason(s), he's not making nearly as many glaring defensive mistakes.  (Although it's also it's telling that none of the dmen really are.)
 
Zee said:
Potvin29 said:
Of d-men who have played at least 20 games, Phaneuf has the 3rd toughest quality of competition as defined by behindthenet.ca.  On top of that he's 5th in scoring for D.  He's having a very solid season.
Click to expand...

I've actually come around on Phaneuf over the last year or so.  At first I looked at his salary and his reputation when we first got him and I was expecting him to dominate on most nights with big hits and timely goals.  But as I've seen him play more and evolve I can appreciate what he's bringing night in and night out against tough competition.  He is having a very good season right now, I think much of it has to do with being paired with someone responsible like Gunnarson.  He's played very well lately after getting away from guys like Kotska and Holzer.
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I think he's evolved his game since he's come to Toronto, learned to be more controlled.  You rarely see him skate halfway across the rink to hit a guy anymore.  By all accounts he's extremely vocal on the ice and in the room, he goes 100% in games & in practice.  He's not the best d-man in the league, he's not perfect, but IMO we have a #1 d-man (and not just by virtue of being on the Leafs).
 
I've been one who has been critical of him in the past, but in the past 10 games or so, he has been really solid and steady, and as a group, the entire Leafs defensive core has been really solid.
 
Seing this tweet got me thinking.

Chris @ReimNier  Last three Phaneuf games: Staal, Semin, Kane, Toews, Hossa, Perry, and Getzlaf have combined for one goal. Sign Dion ASAP.

I know Dion is quite a popular target around here but he is a beast out there at times and against the Ducks he played his best. Credit where is due.

 
If he plays like this game in and out, he'll be in the Norris voting at the end of the season for sure. He's been spectacular IMO. He's refined his game to a pretty good balance of everything and he's doing these things with authority. Faloon didn't know what hit him in the corner last night in the second period, Dion sent him flying with just a shoulder lean from a stand still. Awesome!
 
drummond said:
Seing this tweet got me thinking.

Chris @ReimNier  Last three Phaneuf games: Staal, Semin, Kane, Toews, Hossa, Perry, and Getzlaf have combined for one goal. Sign Dion ASAP.

I know Dion is quite a popular target around here but he is a beast out there at times and against the Ducks he played his best. Credit where is due.
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He's only been on the ice for 4 even-strength goals against this season. That's pretty impressive considering he's usually going up against the other teams best players. Yzerman and co. were apparently scouting last nights game in Toronto. They definitely got a pretty good look at Dion.
 
Which Leaf player would you least like to lose to injury/suspension for a considerable amount of time?

IOW... Which players absence would have the most effect on the success or failure rate of this team?

Without question, in my mind, it's Dion.
 
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