Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
Some people have really short memories. The year that Phaneuf signed his extension, he was finishing his third NHL season, was scoring at a .75 point/game pace and was among the scoring leaders for NHL defensemen. He was averaging over 25 mins of ice time per game, and was among the Flames' elders in plus/minus, all at the age of 21-years-old. By the time his contract kicked in, he had scored 54 goals and 159 points in his first three NHL seasons, and was widely considered the best emerging defenseman in the world. He was so highly regarded then that he placed second in voting for the Norris trophy that year, and was named to the NHL first all star team.
He had a regression the following season, and then hip and rib injuries I believe affected him in the longer term. He has never looked the same as he did pre-2009. He never lived up to his last contract, but at the time it was inked, it looked like a near certainty that he would. So no. While it ended up being a bad contract, it wasn't one at the time when he signed it.
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This. I believe at the time when they were doing redrafts of the 2003 entry class at that point most people had Dion going anywhere from 1-3 overall. Something happened with the injuries that caused him not just to plateau, but to recede at a really young age. There is a risk with a young defensemen signing that kind of contract but at the time it seemed solid.
That said, I think that this is a terrible term for TO (though I think he would get 7 mil+ on the open market). Wouldn't be surprised to see him shipped out in a couple of years given their cap situation.