Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
on paper, sure - but you have to factor in where they all are on their career curves
so I would say that it is more accurate to put it like this:
20Tanev-20Hanifin-20Gio-20Andersson > 20Tanev-20Hanifin-20Andersson-20Zadorov
however, I am not so certain that it applies when we change them all to 21. Hanifin is going to get a bigger role. It should be easy for Andersson to have a better year. Tanev will probably be in tough to be as good as last year. Gio is 38, so every year is a risk of completely falling off the table at this point. Zadorov is 26 and I think he is going to love Sutter hockey. So those things being the case, the following may well be true:
21Tanev-21Hanifin-21Andersson-21Zadorov > 20Tanev-20Hanifin-20Gio-20Andersson
because let's be honest, the 2020 defense wasn't great (other than Tanev)
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Personally, I think Gio's age is overblown, Gio has never relied on his physical gifts to be an effective defensemen. It was his hockey IQ and exemplary work ethic that made him a great defenseman.
I did noticed a significant drop in Hanifin's game when he left Tanev and I noticed significantly improved play overall when Gio was slotted back at #1. Even at 38, I still think Gio > Hanifin. So, I'm still weary about slotting Hanifin back into the top pair.
For me it's pretty simple, Gio was this team's best overall defenseman and without a suitable replacement, the D core in my opinion has not improved which is a bad sign for a team that finished outside of the playoffs. I personally would've liked to see an upgrade in the top 4, not a downgrade.
But it is what it is. I'm not too pleased with the forward group either. So at this point, we can only hope that Darryl's stifling defensive system can make up for the shortfalls in the roster. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm also not giving up hope either.