Quote:
Originally Posted by Parallex
Untrue. Dion Phaneuf is good... just not as good as he was hyped to be when he was young nor as good as his current paycheck warrents.
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I was using a Reggie-ism, but at the same time, I really don't think Phaneuf is any better than average.
I think being paired with a savvy vet like Hamrlik really allowed Phaneuf to blossom, but losing him and then getting traded -- for what appeared to be peanuts, but what has actually proved to be a fair return -- really exposed his shortcomings.
He's not a competitor except on offense, he makes poor decisions and has the hockey sense of a lamp post (or Taylor Hall, take your pick). Phaneuf, since being moved, has proven to be a decent complimentary to a solid, well-rounded D man like Hamrlik, but a failure at being a top or lead D man himself. On top of that, he's lazy and entitled.
There is no-one in the Flames current top 5 (Gio, Brodie, Russell, Hamilton, Wideman) I would trade for Phaneuf straight up, and that's even without salary considerations. Frankly, I'd maybe even rather have Engelland.