Hanifin's emergence might be the most important thing that happened this season imo. He didn't turn into the offensive guy that was projected... what we got is even better though. He just doesn't get the hype because most media and fans don't appreciate a guy who is quietly effective everywhere as much as they drool over point totals. Hanifin is perfect for Sutter's system and is blossoming before our eyes. Never going to put up big points or be a pp guy but I'd rather a guy like him than someone like Barrie all day long. The objective is to defend first and foremost. You need to have confidence that your top pairing can contain the other teams top guys... consistently. That's a much more difficult task than racking up secondary assists on the pp. He's fast and moves the puck very well... but he seems to see the whole ice now
He makes 4.85m but might be worth 8m realistically. Finally using his physical skills to move the needle every game. I'm so happy I was wrong about him. Looks like Sutter was the tonic he needed to understand how to realize his potential... even if it's not what the scouts thought in 2015
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