[Signing] Phaneuf signs 7yr x $7mil contract extension

[sarge]

Did anyone else notice the Dion scoring Buffalo's first goal for them last night? Hopefully seven more years of that type of stuff for the Leafs.

[moon]

Originally Posted by FlamesAllTheWay

Has improved somewhat since he arrived in Toronto. They can also ill afford to lose him, as already mentioned. Still, one of the most overrated D in the league IMO.

All people do is crap on him and he is somehow overrated?

Who is overrating him?

[JobHopper]

Good for Dion, he already has a Bentley as seen from the 24/7 show.

He's a good guy, good for him.

A bargain really considering how much revenue the league is generating and with the salary cap possibly going up in the coming seasons here.

[d_phaneuf]

anytime you have a chance to lock up the key pieces of a borderline non-playoff in the ECHL to long term deals in to their mid 30's it's a move you have to make

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

As a Leafs fan it seems like a fair price to me.

Is Phaneuf $1.75m better than Clarkson?

I'd say yes. This is what happens when you give crap players like Clarkson and Bozak the big bucks.

No, this is what happens when the Leafs give crap players Clarkson and Bozak the big bucks.

[Northendzone]

Contract is too much - not sure if it is term or money.......

As stated several times, the leafs had their backs to the wall as Dijon would have done much better as a UFA.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

So what is Subban going to get?

The TSN front page story "asking how much should he get" 3 days per week, as opposed to the 2 days a week they're currently running it at?


Good for Phaneuf. With all the crap you have to put up with in Toronto, and, honestly, he's likely the best defenceman the Leafs have had in a couple decades. If they're off paying slugs like Clarkson, Bozek and others in that ball park, he's certainly worth more than that.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

As a Leafs fan it seems like a fair price to me.

Is Phaneuf $1.75m better than Clarkson?

I'd say yes. This is what happens when you give crap players like Clarkson and Bozak the big bucks.

Using mistakes to justify making more mistakes is pretty much why the Leafs aren't likely to aspire to anything more than mediocrity.

[-TC-]

this is awesome. the Laffs will be screwed for years to come because of a terrible contract for a mediocre player

[Ashasx]

I thought Phaneuf would get a Bouwmeester contract but what do I know.

[FlamesAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by moon

All people do is crap on him and he is somehow overrated?

Who is overrating him?

Well all I know is a group of his peers have him as the most overrated player in the league the past couple seasons. And I agree with them:

2013 - http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/97...-espn-magazine

2012 - http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=384805

For me, I think he's a good defenceman but not a number 1 guy worth the above rumoured contract. I just look at alot of other players with a similar role on their respective teams, like Chara, Kronwall, Karlsson, Doughty, Yandle, Ekman-Larsson, Pietrangelo, etc, and I'd take them all over Phaneuf. And they're all getting paid the same or less than this rumoured deal. Heck I'd probably even take Gio the way he's playing these days and on a worse team to boot. If we didn't pretty much already know how it would turn out I'd probably consider Bouwmeester as well.

I also don't think Phaneuf's numbers since arriving in Leaf country are anything special. Nor do I think he's capable of handling the role of a number 1 D on a regular basis as his weaknesses defensively get exposed. I get that the Leafs don't have anyone else on their roster to turn to but that they're still considering paying Phaeuf as a number 1 D for the next 7 years (I get the "C" also factors in somewhat) says to me they still view him as such regardless. Part of the reason why I would say he's overrated.

But I guess we'll see what his extension actually turns out to be as this is still just a rumour.

[moon]

I would say that for two years he has been talked about as the most overrated guy kind of shows that he is no longer overrated. If everyone talks about it then how is he overrated? If he is constantly voted overrated then doesn't that show that people realize what he is and aren't overrating him?

I listen to Prime Time Sports everyday and the TO media and fan base crap all over him. Flames fans crap all over him since he left. Vancouver and Edmonton fans hate him and crap on him from his time here. I imagine Sens, Jets and Canadians fans hate him if for no other reason then he is the Captain of the Leafs.

I just am wondering who is overrating him now? If he is so overrated who is it that is overrating him, because it isn't the Canadian media, isn't Canadian fans and I haven't seen/heard him plastered all over ESPN either.

[moon]

Originally Posted by FlamesAllTheWay

I also don't think Phaneuf's numbers since arriving in Leaf country are anything special. Nor do I think he's capable of handling the role of a number 1 D on a regular basis as his weaknesses defensively get exposed. I get that the Leafs don't have anyone else on their roster to turn to but that they're still considering paying Phaeuf as a number 1 D for the next 7 years (I get the "C" also factors in somewhat) says to me they still view him as such regardless. Part of the reason why I would say he's overrated.

Phaneuf would get the same deal if he went to FA, maybe even more.

He may not be amongst the elite defensemen of the league but he was the top minute defenseman on a play-off team and on a team in which he is not getting a ton of help from the other guys, defensemen or a stud goalie.

The past two years he has also been ~top 10 in scoring for defensemen which isn't everything but combined with his big minutes played against top competition is getting close to "anything special."

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by moon

I would say that for two years he has been talked about as the most overrated guy kind of shows that he is no longer overrated. If everyone talks about it then how is he overrated? If he is constantly voted overrated then doesn't that show that people realize what he is and aren't overrating him?

I listen to Prime Time Sports everyday and the TO media and fan base crap all over him. Flames fans crap all over him since he left. Vancouver and Edmonton fans hate him and crap on him from his time here. I imagine Sens, Jets and Canadians fans hate him if for no other reason then he is the Captain of the Leafs.

I just am wondering who is overrating him now? If he is so overrated who is it that is overrating him, because it isn't the Canadian media, isn't Canadian fans and I haven't seen/heard him plastered all over ESPN either.

He's about to sign a contract worth $50 million. Somebody is over rating him.

[moon]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

He's about to sign a contract worth $50 million. Somebody is over rating him.

That is what defensemen like him cost to re-sign when they are going to UFA or already FA's.

[Red John]

So Toronto is going to build their franchise around Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf. $15 million/year.

Safe to say the Leafs won't be breaking that Cup drought anytime soon.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Red John

So Toronto is going to build their franchise around Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf. $15 million/year.

Safe to say the Leafs won't be breaking that Cup drought anytime soon.

To be fair, if the cap is at $90M in a few seasons, those deals will probably be well below market value.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Red John

So Toronto is going to build their franchise around Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf. $15 million/year.

Safe to say the Leafs won't be breaking that Cup drought anytime soon.

The other option is to build around Cody Franson and Nazem Kadri.

Signing Phaneuf and Kessel isn't what's holding them back from winning the Cup.

[Red John]

Originally Posted by moon

The other option is to build around Cody Franson and Nazem Kadri.

Signing Phaneuf and Kessel isn't what's holding them back from winning the Cup.

There's only one other option? Ok then.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Red John

There's only one other option? Ok then.

With the way they built their team there really is much other options.

They don't re-sign Phaneuf and Cody Franson is their top guy with little to no better options in UFA this off-season and almost impossible to trade for a top pairing defenseman especially with the assets they have.

Feel free to point out a better option for them than a useless one line throw away comment.