Quote:
Originally Posted by CFO
All teams could use a hanafin in their top 4.
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Well I would hope he is one of the top 120 D in the game for what he gets paid and will get paid going forward. Top 4 D is getting pretty broad when talking about fit and skillsets.
Hanfin is a good puck mover who has never been able to lead a top PP as the go to guy. He's a good offensive D, but not elite offensively.
Hanafin is a very good defender against average to good players. He struggles against stars and superstars (as do most players).
He hasn't shown he can play on the top D pairing and shutdown the other teams top line. In fact the opposite , he has been badly exposed in the playoffs by other teams stars.
He does a lot of things well to very well, but nothing elite.
In an ideal world Hanafin is on the 2nd pairing and shielded by a 1st pairing that can shut down the other teams top lines. He can be the 2nd best overall D on a good/great team, but not necessarily playing on the first D pairing. (Or potentially he can be paired with an elite shutdown partner on the 1st pairing if you find great chemistry)
He just seems to be one step away from being "the guy" - Maybe he takes that next steps forward as some D do in their late 20's/early 30's. Or maybe he just is what he is - A very good overall D who isn't elite in any facet of their game.
I think other teams see this, and are reluctant to give up a hefty package and sign him to top pairing dollars when he hasn't shown he's capable of playing 25+ minutes and taking over a game like his future salary will expect of him.