I think Dion Phaneuf is an overrated player. He's a great offensive defenseman, but he peaked early and he's still riding that success. He's particularly fortunate because his early career success was under intense media scrutiny (World Juniors and Calgary).
The problem is, I don't see Phaneuf getting 50-60 points this year, let alone when he's 35. And lets be honest, if he's not being an offensive sparkplug, his defensive game is still pretty average.
Phaneuf should be getting Wideman money but his brand adds an extra 2 million per year. The Leafs will find out the hard way that that money would better spent on Morgan Reilly or Jake Gardiner in the coming years.
I already feel for Jake Gardiner. He has already been forced to take a lowball offer because the Leafs don't have any cap room to play with.
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