R1G4: Bruins @ Leafs - May 8th, 7:00pm - CBC, Fan 590

[Capn_Crunch]

GOD DAMN IT PHANEUF

He's a tool.  Absolutely no clue what the hell he is doing on the ice.

And he's been doing that all series long. Why the hell isn't Caryle reigning him in?

There was that stat where Phaneuf's numbers look brutal in games where he plays 25+ minutes.    Given that he can't handle those minutes, I really don't think he's a top pairing defenseman.  He certainly plays like one a lot of the time, but a team with Phaneuf as the best defenseman is never going to win. 

The Leafs forwards deserved better tonight.  Gardiner deserved better.  Phaneuf can go shove his boombox.

How about this article... so many are quick to turn on Dion. We wouldn't be in the playoffs without him, thats an almost absolute fact. Read this article and rethink your mindset. Angry in the heat of the moment yes, but to say he is not a 1st pairing dman is insane.

http://theleafsnation.com/2013/5/9/breaking-down-a-scapegoat

Next game i bet he comes out with every drop in his tank.

 

[gunnar36]

How about this article... so many are quick to turn on Dion. We wouldn't be in the playoffs without him, thats an almost absolute fact. Read this article and rethink your mindset. Angry in the heat of the moment yes, but to say he is not a 1st pairing dman is insane.

http://theleafsnation.com/2013/5/9/breaking-down-a-scapegoat

Next game i bet he comes out with every drop in his tank.

Couldn't agree more with that article and it's good to see that I am not the only one that feels the need to defend Dion.  No question that they wouldn't have even made the playoffs without him as he routinely diffuses far more danger than he creates.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

How about this article... so many are quick to turn on Dion. We wouldn't be in the playoffs without him, thats an almost absolute fact. Read this article and rethink your mindset. Angry in the heat of the moment yes, but to say he is not a 1st pairing dman is insane.

http://theleafsnation.com/2013/5/9/breaking-down-a-scapegoat

Next game i bet he comes out with every drop in his tank.

What bugs me about those defending Dion right now is that they are acting as if people are only upset about that one single play. But he's been terrible in all 5 games so far. He hasn't created anything on the powerplay, or offensively in general. He's routinely floating around the defensive zone. He's going for hits when he shouldn't. He's chasing players well after they've made passes on the rush.

And the reason I'm upset with his play is because, like you said, we wouldn't have made the playoffs without him. He was arguably our MVP and playing like a top-15 defenceman in the NHL. Where did that guy go? Our captain and best defenceman has laid an egg so far in the 5 most important games he's played as a Leaf. With the way that the team has played so far in the playoffs if you added Phaneuf from the regular season we'd beat Boston. I really think that. So does his performance completely wipe out what he did in the regular season? Not really, but I think it does warrant criticism.

 

[mr grieves]

How about this article... so many are quick to turn on Dion. We wouldn't be in the playoffs without him, thats an almost absolute fact. Read this article and rethink your mindset. Angry in the heat of the moment yes, but to say he is not a 1st pairing dman is insane.

http://theleafsnation.com/2013/5/9/breaking-down-a-scapegoat

Next game i bet he comes out with every drop in his tank.

What bugs me about those defending Dion right now is that they are acting as if people are only upset about that one single play. But he's been terrible in all 5 games so far. He hasn't created anything on the powerplay, or offensively in general. He's routinely floating around the defensive zone. He's going for hits when he shouldn't. He's chasing players well after they've made passes on the rush.

And the reason I'm upset with his play is because, like you said, we wouldn't have made the playoffs without him. He was arguably our MVP and playing like a top-15 defenceman in the NHL. Where did that guy go? Our captain and best defenceman has laid an egg so far in the 5 most important games he's played as a Leaf. With the way that the team has played so far in the playoffs if you added Phaneuf from the regular season we'd beat Boston. I really think that. So does his performance completely wipe out what he did in the regular season? Not really, but I think it does warrant criticism.

The linked article points out he's mostly played opposite Bergeron-Marchand-Seguin. They've combined for .25 points per game this series. So... Phaneuf's first playoffs don't strike me as a complete waste.

Ideally, as you note in the second paragraph, the team's MVP defenseman should, during the playoffs, manage an increased level of defensive play while also doing -- if not elevating -- the things he did well in the regular reason... Yeah. His PP has been off, and, now that Gardiner's finally in the line-up and producing, I wish RC would try Franson and him on the top unit. Because Dion hasn't been very good offensively.

 

[mr grieves]

I think RC tries too hard to make players adjust their styles to fit some strategic template he has designed, as opposed to exploiting a players assets. I warmed up to Phaneuf this year, but still don't see him as a guy who should be logging those kinds of minutes. I felt the same way about McCabe. Great player, but with too many minutes he can cause as many problems as he can solve. If a player like that is on the ice for half the game, and has specific weaknesses, it becomes easy for the opposition to exploit.

This is what I've found most frustrating about RC. He has adapted in places (I lurk to see cw point out where), and that's to his credit and all... But it can only be an overwhelming commitment to some template -- face-punching fourth line, finesse-bruiser defensive pairings -- that gave us the line-up we had over the last quarter of the season. At some point in that slump, sooner than getting pasted by the Bruins, the coach should've assessed where the most talented, most complete hockey players were (press box) and inserted them.

I rather like the line-up he's settled on, now that out-Bruining the Bruins proved a bust and injuries have forced his hand, and, if the team had had it during the end of season slump, I wonder if they'd be playing the Bruins.

 

[Rebel_1812]

Also wanted to add that I thought the Gardiner and Franson pairing was fantastic.

According to @camcharron, they played 8 shifts together and the Leafs outshot the Bruins 7-2 and outchanced them 7-0 during that time. Only a complete idiot would keep them apart for game 5. And I mean a big, dumb, complete idiot.

I think I know just the idiot!!

I think RC tries too hard to make players adjust their styles to fit some strategic template he has designed, as opposed to exploiting a players assets. I warmed up to Phaneuf this year, but still don't see him as a guy who should be logging those kinds of minutes. I felt the same way about McCabe. Great player, but with too many minutes he can cause as many problems as he can solve. If a player like that is on the ice for half the game, and has specific weaknesses, it becomes easy for the opposition to exploit.

With McCabe, he was a left shot playing the right side. Easy out for the opposition.

I am all for having brains in that position as opposed to one or 2 particular skills. Kaberle in his prime was a decent number one IMO.

Franson reminds me of the type of guys we had in the early 90s, Rouse, Ellett, LeFebvre...I liked those dudes.

Kaberle just have one skill, passing.

 

[princedpw]

"First pairing"
"Second pairing"
"No 1 D"
Those words mean different things to different people. I do think that Phaneuf is our best all around defenseman and deserves the most minutes on the team.  I can't think of a plausible trade involving Phaneuf that one could make that would make the leafs better in the near term.

 

[hockeyfan1]

What are Justin Pogge and Andrew Raycroft up to these days anyway?

Eating hot dogs and taking naps.

Eating pizza and prosciutto and taking naps.

... and lasagna & ravioli, too!