Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason14h
I think part of the argument is that Anderson and Hanifin couldn’t handle the top line of Edmonton .
So if they can’t play first pairing D in playoffs why not move one for forward help .
Depth D doesn’t matter if the depth can’t stop the oppositions best players
We didn’t loose against Edmonton because Stone was forced to play .
Now if the team believes one or both of Anderson and Hanifin have another level still you can absolutely run them out there again. If the team believes either has peaked looking to acquire a similarly aged and skills forward makes sense
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1) very small sample size
2) with Tanev out and Kylington and Gudbranson banged up, MOST of the heavy minutes fell to Hanifin and Andersson
3) Hanifin's TOI went up by 2 full minutes in the playoffs, vs the regular season
The playoffs are a different beast - some teams get on a roll, others do not. The sample size is tiny, and matchups matter A LOT. In a single series, if you're matched up against a line that is playing well, your numbers are going to suck.
Did Hanifin struggle against the Oilers? Absolutely. Is there anyone on the Flames' D that didn't? No.
Trading good young defensemen away, and making the D weaker, does not seem like the greatest strategy to fixing the problem of our D not being good enough against the Oilers.