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Originally Posted by FiveSeven
Just another one of those things. Elite stats, but we all know he wasn't elite defensively.
Keeping things in the Ozone is nice, but irrelevant when it comes to defending.
He was lazy, hence so many infuriating penalties. He battled along the boards very soft and always made silly plays even when someone was open.
I bet Hanifin will be a better defender, visually and effectively.
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Your expectations are probably much higher than what they should be. I expect Hanifin to maybe drop down to the third line for a spell at times. Why? This will be year 4 that a coach will be showing him how to play defence.
Yes, that's right. Hanifin admitted during an interview in Carolina early on that no coach sat him down to teach him defence. His skating and offensive ability was always encouraged and focused on by coaches.
He is working on it, he is getting better at it, and I do think he will be 'fine', but I do expect some growing pains.
There are some defencemen in the league that end up being fantastic defencemen. Why? Because they have both the brains and the ability. Phaneuf didn't care about that side of his game, and he spent his entire career being ridiculed for it for the most part. A guy like Giordano did, and he might be the league's most underrated 2-way defencemen.
Hanifin seems like a guy that will commit to it. I think the culture in Calgary is one that will encourage that. I think Peters has been on top of that in his days in Carolina, and will continue to do so here in Calgary. Hopefully a lot of the board is right and Huska is some 'defensmen whisperer' or something, and that his growth will accelerate.
I just think people should realize that Hanifin wasn't taught much defensively (as per his own words) in any junior league or even in the NCAA. We should expect him to be a little bit raw and not freak out when we see it. He is a smart player, and I bet that he gets there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
I think it is less clear about Hamilton, but there is no question that Ferland benefitted substantially from his deployment on the top line. He was good there, but Monahan and Gaudreau absolutely carried him.
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I don't believe that Ferland got carried. I see what you are intending here, but carried is way too harsh.
Did Ferland benefit from playing with Gaudreau and Monahan? Absolutely. However, Ferland also has the ability to put the puck in the back of the net and make high-level plays and reads. He was able to get to some good spots to get that shot off (second best on the team after Monahan, I would say). He made a series of absolutely beautiful plays with Monahan and Gaudreau throughout the season. I think he contributed to that top line. It was - and I am sorry for bringing up an 80's term here - synergy.
I think if Ferland gets as much opportunity on the Canes as he did here, he will get 20 goals again, and with his shot and wheels, thirty is not out of the question.
Ferland isn't a line driver like some other players may be, but he has a history of being able to play at an elite level with elite players - junior with Mark Stone and now with Gaudreau and Monahan.
Complimentary player? Yeah, I will agree there. Carried? Absolutely not.