Quote:
Originally Posted by Rifleman
Dion Phaneuf has only played well with two defense partners over his career. Roman Hamrlik and Jim Vandameer.
Hamrlik, because his talent could get the pair out of some tough situations, and Vandameer because he babysat the backend while teh Dion joined the rushes, which is one of his strengths.
Plus, we had Kipper playing out of his mind as usual, and as a result, Phaneuf's +/- wasn't abysmal.
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perhaps his best was his calder year (arguably) and he was paired with marchment....
Phanuef shouldn't be a defensive dman, he's just not smart enough for that. However, if they took that role away from him, and let his other finer qualities as a player flourish a bit, he'd be a much more valuable player (ie. be more offensive, looking for big hits all over the ice). Making him the captain, and playing him on a pairing where he is depended on for defensive fortitude is just asking for trouble.