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Originally Posted by Textcritic
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Good post, Calgary4Life.
Much like you, I at first read MarkGio's characterisation of Kanzig as "embarrassing" with regards to his selection at the draft and presence in the Flames system. But having gone back and read it again, I think he was actually saying that Kanzig's selection so high in this poll is what is embarrassing, when there are other, (in his opinion) better prospects still on the board.
I don't agree with him, but I think this is an important distinction to make from his post.
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Yes, I was speaking about these polls. I never called Kanzig a bad player and I've seen him play. He has great intangibles, but offense is part of the big picture when evaluating these guys. A player who can't put the puck on net from the blueline or pass the puck to the player who's making an offensive play (or scoring himself) is part of that big picture. But since you brought it up, I think he would've fallen to the 5th round in his draft year without the Flames selecting him. He was raw and very much unknown - not something you gamble on in the top 70.
Top pairing defenseman need to hold the blueline, then either 1) throw it on net, (2) pass to the D partner or (3) pass it along the nearby boards, (4) get close to the net. For a guy on the ice as much as a top pairing defenseman is, there is only a few reasons why he's not getting points, given the limited scenarios he will involved in. He's either making poor decisions or isn't in the offensive zone for very long. They also quarterback the transition, which again, should yield in points.
I think fighting is playing a role in people's selections. Both Ferland and Kanzig are having less successful careers than players below them in these polls. I won't nit pick two or three selections that are arguable between closely talented players, but I'm confident both Ferland and Kanzig will make dramatic falls in these polls, unless this was a ranking in boxing skills, not hockey skills. Mind you, Ferland did have an impressive 10 games last year.
Could he be an Engelland....? Perhaps, but Enga was drafted very late and was purely a goon selection since he spent most of his time in the box. Kanzig was not since he was an early 3rd pick and from all the comments about him from Flames management.