Quote:
Originally Posted by PugnaciousIntern
Visually, the gap between these players is much smaller than I was expecting. After a disappointing season, perhaps I’m a little biased as the ‘warts’ of Hamilton stand out more prominently in my mind, such as perceived compete level. I just haven’t watched Hanifin enough to learn his warts. The nice thing is that he’s still young enough that those deficiencies in his game aren’t necessarily permanent.
Hamilton is still the better player now, but that isn’t the whole story of the trade (cap hit, RFA status, etc).
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This is a great comment and I agree. Hamilton is a great player but I am jaded, due to the many frustrating things he did last year. I, too, see the warts.
Lots of talk about hitting in this thread. And for me, that was one of the most frustrating things about Hamilton. Hamilton
did throw hits, he
did play the body.
Sometimes. When he felt like it. Other times he was buttery soft. Also, he would hit a guy in the corner, but then casually let that player beat him to the front of the net, and leave the guy unmarked. Things like that drove me crazy.
There is no question that Hamilton has an elite shot. And he has enough tools to fairly be called a great player. But his compete level just didn't cut it for me. So, so frustrating to watch.
Hanifin is an elite skater and already has a more well-rounded game. I already prefer him to Hamilton, just for the chemistry change. And I believe there is plenty of upside yet, with respect to offense. As someone said, defensemen tend to break out in year 4 or 5. He has focused on becoming a good, all-around player. And he is getting there. Now, the game will start to slow down for him and his confidence will grow. Then the offense will blossom.
I don't care how many points Hamilton gets in Carolina. For me, I would straight-up rather have Hanifin over Hamilton - even though I acknowledge that, today, Hamilton is still a better player (simply due to being 3 1/2 years older, and 7 years into his career).
I love the trade. I liked it at the time, and I like it even more now that we can see the 'chemistry' side of it.
And Lindholm is even better than I thought he was.