Scott Hannan. Impressions?

[Drake744]

I'm about to head out but I wanted to post a quick thread and get your thoughts on Hannan so far. I think he's been pretty solid and an under the radar veteran signing for us. Looks better than Gill does. Anyone else?

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[Seth Lake]

I'm about to head out but I wanted to post a quick thread and get your thoughts on Hannan so far. I think he's been pretty solid and an under the radar veteran signing for us. Looks better than Gill does. Anyone else?

Very solid. Had some glitches playing with Klein to start the season, but has fit in well with Weber and others in the 7 D rotation. Solid veteran presence that plays with poise and never seems to get very rattled.

A good fit for the Predators this season...

 

[Paranoid Android]

Didn't like his play at first, but he's played very well the past few games. Overall better than I expected (I had serious doubts). Unfortunately, he will continue to hold Weber back offensively and isn't as strong a passer as I'd like. You can tell he's a vet who's been around the block though.

All in all, another bargain bin win for Poile.

 

[Cashville]

He's better than Gill, but let's call a spade a spade: he's a solid third pairing defenseman who can play second pairing if needed and not be a trainwreck. He had some notable issues in the Kings game, and is poor at handling the puck. He has a strong body and plays fairly good positional defense, but has trouble with anyone with a lot of speed or creativity.

This probably sounds pretty negative, but it really isn't. He's a great third pairing guy and I like the pickup a lot. I think his being paired with Weber for neigh-first pairing minutes is untenable though and I'm hoping he is there until Trotz thinks Blum has proven he can hang (Blum has played well; think we just need a larger sample size here). Hannan played 22:46 last game vs. Josi's 15:21; that makes no sense. Josi has played the best of anyone on the team outside Wilson and maybe Erat through the first 10. My hope is that within the next 5-10 games we transition to:

Weber / Josi
Klein / Blum
Ellis / Hannan or Gill

Weber is going to have the worst year of his career offensively if he continues to play a lot of Hannan. As I said elsewhere, he has the offensive prowess of a potato. I'm not sure what you do with Gill. We're not going to roll 7D all year and it scratching him after re-signing him is a bit of a waste. Very pleased with how our young blueliners have played thus far.

 

[preds1]

Pleasantly surprised, I expected worse. He's certainly better than Gill.
One thing I noticed about him early on is he's got a thing for knocking opposing forwards on their cans.
I like it.

Paired with Weber is a bit of a stretch. But as long as we're winning, he can play 1C for all I care.

 

[Paranoid Android]

Assuming Blum starts living up to expectations, what's everyone's opinion on pairing him and Weber together? Could they work together? I honestly like him over Josi in the passing department which could help Weber out. Problem is his D but he may get better.

edit: Just realized they're both rightys...

 

[nomorekids]

To echo some of what is being said, I think he's been pretty solid. I think it's probably not a good thing long term if he keeps playing on the first pair, but he didn't work with Klein for whatever reason. Looks good on the PK and is near the top of the league in blocked shots.

Agree that he's looked better than Gill thus far, but that's not saying a whole lot.

 

[Kcoyote3]

Real question is: do you think he comes back for a second season?

 

[Drake744]

Real question is: do you think he comes back for a second season?

He's the only UFA defenseman after this season so that makes this prediction a bit confusing. I get the sense that he'll play well but get picked up by someone else this summer. Unless of course we make a trade involving one of our young D-men, which I'm not sure I'm a fan of.

Like the third post said, another bargain bin win for Poile. Guy is ridiculous at grabbing leftovers and making them work. If we need D-man depth after the season I could see us bringing him back, much like we did with Francis Bouillon a year or two ago.

 

[kypredsfan]

Like others have said, he has played better then Gill. Gill is disappointing me so far this season. Very happy for the price.

 

[101st_fan]

He is a physical, stayhome vet with limited puck moving skills and luckily a little more mobility than Gill. He mirrors the current play from the team, solid in the defensive end but far from flashy in the offensive. He's still a legit 2nd pair guy with the right partner who we're shoehorning into the top pair to placate Weber in our end. His hockey IQ is high enough that he knows when he can get away with pinching in offensive end.

The seven d-man rotation is beneficial for Gill right now. His lack of speed is a liability at ES but his reach, size, and positioning remain positives when on the kill and he doesn't need to worry about getting back to his zone from the point. He is one defender I'd like to see put the puck at the net more often. His wrister is usually on target and creates rebounds off the goalie's pads ... when he uses it. Of all of the defenders in the league, Gill should never pinch in ... seeing him come down the wall just equates to breakaway for the opposition.

 

[PredsV82]

Real question is: do you think he comes back for a second season?

not likely. He was a stopgap needed because it wasnt clear if Blum would be NHL ready.

Next year Blum is full time, and Gill is under contract, so unless Hannan wants to sign for cheap as a #7 dman, he will probably look elsewhere

 

[ThirdManIn]

Real question is: do you think he comes back for a second season?

Actually, the real question is the one posted in the OP

I don't think he comes back mainly because I don't think we will need him back.

 

[deanwormer]

At first I looked at pairing him with Weber as temp thing to get Weber's O going; now I'm not so sure. Neither Hannan or Gill with Klein makes sense; I spose you could play those 2 together as a 3rd pair, but honestly, he or Gill needs to sit - we need the kids to play and either cut it or not. But to the OP question - I think he's been pleasantly solid, has a bit of an edge that we need, but I really see his game as more-or-less redundant to Gill's.

 

[thecloser]

What's the thoughts on waiving Gill? Would anyone pick him up?

And if so what about bringing Bartley or Ekholm up?