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Originally Posted by Big Erned Nevergivn
I just don't agree with this at all. IMO Hanafin is twice the D-man Kylington is at this point. Without Tanev, Kylington is absolutely lost in his own end. The guy is supposed to be a great skater, sure he his fast but damn is he weak on his edges and falls all over the place. He is weak in general and often over powered by guys who look smaller than him. He loses most puck battles and doesn't make up for it with his stick. He has got to be one of the worst stick handlers I have seen at the NHL lvl, constantly bobbling the puck, flubbing passes and make just straight up bone head decisions with the puck. He is fast and shows some flashes of offense. Tanev turns him into a serviceable top 4 defenseman. Without Tanev I thought he was the worst player on the ice in playoffs.
Hanifin is not perfect, but is a better skater, is more cerebral therefore making better decisions in his own end, better first pass and doesn't need a stalwart veteren defensemen known for making his partner better, to make him a top 4 d-man. Do I wish he had a better shot and was more physical? absolutely! But IMO Kylington doesn't hold a candle to Hanifin, nor are they very similar.
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Well for me it comes down to value. I think Kylington will come at a much cheaper price point than Hanifin and I think he still has untapped offensive potential, especially on the powerplay. Kylington has his warts without a doubt, but he has tenacity and a lot of jam to his game that I like on both ends of the ice.
I actually don't think Kylington's skating is actually that far off from Hanifin's nor do I think Hanifin makes a better first pass or makes better decisions. He's bigger than Kylington, but he plays just as small. Personally, I think Hanifin is big time overrated. His offensive game is extremely vanilla, his PP quarterback skills are limited and I don't think he drives his pairing, Tanev and Andersson did IMO and they both come cheaper too.
Just out of curiosity, what did you see in the playoffs that gives you confidence going forward? I thought he was pretty awful in both series and like someone said early, was exposed. The two opponents were completely different as well, one was heavy and the other one was speed/skilled and he was terrible in both and the opponents took full advantage. Hanifin was on the ice for 16 even strength goals against while Kylington was on the ice for only 6. Kylington also didn't even have a healthy Tanev in the line up for half the series.