Ummm no. Dion is a good 2nd pairing d-man that can give out big hits and get points. Last year he had 44 points and a -10 on a crap team. Those are better stats than any flames d-man from last year who were also on a crap team.
Other than the last game i would take back Dion over Bouw anyday. At least we know he will give it his all coming down the stretch.
Has anybody actually seen Toronto this year? They are horrible. They are basically a younger version of the last 2 flames roster. The only difference is that they don't have a goaltender that will win them games and make them 9th-10th place team.
If i was Toronto i would not trade for Loungo. Tank the season and get a good draft pick.
You are missing the terrible intangibles that Phaneuf brings to a team. Locker room morale is a pretty big thing if you want to win.
Also don't forget the guy makes $6.5mil/year. If he makes $2 to $3 mill it would be an entirely different story.
You are missing the terrible intangibles that Phaneuf brings to a team. Locker room morale is a pretty big thing if you want to win.
Also don't forget the guy makes $6.5mil/year. If he makes $2 to $3 mill it would be an entirely different story.
From all reports the players of toronto love him in the locker room. He did not fit into the "country club" of the flames. I am not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing?
Look at when he signed that contract. Those were the type of deals going out then. If anybody is to blame it's Sutter for giving him that money.
Toronto screwed any last chance of him becoming a top pairing d-man when they named him Captain.
Why wasn't this an excuse for Bouwmeester last year then?
If Bouwmeester put up double digit goals and +40 points (Phaneuf's numbers) last year he would have endured a lot less criticism. Both guys have been underwhelming but at least Phaneuf contributes offensively.
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If Bouwmeester put up double digit goals and +40 points (Phaneuf's numbers) last year he would have endured a lot less criticism. Both guys have been underwhelming but at least Phaneuf contributes offensively.
Bouwmeester has an extra 15 scoring point last year (to get to Phanuef's 44) and the Flames are in the playoffs and LA is not SC champs.
The Flames definitely got the best years of Dion. He is not the physical threat with the Leafs that he was in Calgary.
Does that mean he is washed up. No but he has to at least become that physical checking beast he was if he wants even 4m a year on his next contract.
I will stand by what i have always said Sutter made a horrible trade for what he got in return for a young D man who was coming off back to back allstar seasons and a Norris candidate.
Sutter could have done much better with moving Dion and i still believe it was a factor as to why he was eventually let go.
"I don't think that Dion's ready to play 30-plus minutes and he played 32 in New York," Carlyle said following Monday's practice. "So we have to take responsibility for that as a coaching staff."
The sad thing about Phaneuf is that he is trending into a slightly better Derek Morris. Phaneuf is a guy who will play 1,000 games in the NHL, but that Norris-calibre talent will never see its full potential because his head is not able to unlock it.
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Ummm no. Dion is a good 2nd pairing d-man that can give out big hits and get points. Last year he had 44 points and a -10 on a crap team. Those are better stats than any flames d-man from last year who were also on a crap team.
Other than the last game i would take back Dion over Bouw anyday. At least we know he will give it his all coming down the stretch.
Has anybody actually seen Toronto this year? They are horrible. They are basically a younger version of the last 2 flames roster. The only difference is that they don't have a goaltender that will win them games and make them 9th-10th place team.
If i was Toronto i would not trade for Loungo. Tank the season and get a good draft pick.
He COULD be a good 2nd pairing guy. But right now he's playing like a sub 2nd pairing. The Leafs always were doing well with offense, in particular this year. Much like the Oilers, their own zone is the problem. When your captain is the essence of a pylon defensively and a black hole offensively, yes it's pretty bad.
As for him giving his all down the stretch, I have to really disagree with that. Part if it might be that he's actually engaged, but with half assed readings on the play, he's not that effective whenever he "brings his all". I've watched a fair number of of Leafs games and the thing that stuck out for me aside from his weird skating is he looks like gliding with wet noodles for arms.
I remember the good ol' days when the great debate was who was better, Phaneuf or Weber. I recall one poster here who once said we can finally lay to rest the argument since Phaneuf > Weber after his Norris nomination season.
Oh how the mighty have fallen. It's a real shame what happened to him since as I recall Phaneuf was the best young defenseman in the game, and might have taken the title of best overall young player if Crosby and Ovechkin didn't exist. Although the return for him wasn't up to par, I'm glad we have moved on past him.
