Top 10 defensemen since 2005 #1

[TheLeafsBro]

I gotta go with my boy Gardiner.

 

[King85Kong]

I gotta go with my boy Gardiner.

Think in a couple years he could be. A little to early right now.

 

[TheLeafsBro]

Think in a couple years he could be. A little to early right now.

I know but I still gotta go with him. Love that guy.

 

[King85Kong]

I know but I still gotta go with him. Love that guy.

Ya he is an easy guy to like.

 

[WildcatMapleLeafs28]

Dion Phaneuf.

 

[Judas Tavares]

The 156 games Kaberle played from the lockout to the Janssen hit was better than anything Phaneuf did. Kaberle wore a letter too you know.

 

[Bullseye]

Why is Schenn's name in this poll?

 

[Havoc]

Based on your criteria, it is Kaberle. People who LOL over the Kaberle selections must have only seen him post-concussion.

 

[LV*]

Phaneuf.

 

[leafstilldeath*]

Kabby gets the vote here boys. Kabs was awesome. Czech Mate!


Edit: Just rememered Vesa Toskala. Before it was him now it is Franson+Carlyle. #LeafsLuck

 

[Sundinisagod]

What year did Kaberle get concussed again? He was never the same after that. I would rank a pre-concussed Kaberle > Phaneuf but post concussion not so much.

 

[Super Mega]

Kaberle or Phaneuf really

funny how both are the most elite the leafs have had for 10 years and both are much maligned by a big segment of the fans (phaneuf majority? sometimes seems like it)

 

[Christ]

McCabe, Phaneuf, Kaberle

 

[HarryLime]

I feel like Rielly and Gardiner will be the answers 5 years from now.


For right now idk. Obvi between Dion and Tomas. I think Dion gets too much hate on HF tbh. Kaberle wowed me more than Dion and I'd say he was the greater Leaf. But some of his best seasons came before 2005, so for that reason I pick Dion.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Phaneuf/Kaberle
McCabe
Everyone else

It was sad to see Kabs getting washed up and jumping through several teams. Especially Montreal. That was just wrong

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

The 156 games Kaberle played from the lockout to the Janssen hit was better than anything Phaneuf did. Kaberle wore a letter too you know.

Pretty much. He was not the same after that hit. All the same, you can look up his possession stats from 2007-08 on and they're quite good, as was his offensive production. Even after the concussion Kaberle was a wizard with the puck, a premiere passer and capable of effortlessly turning away to evade a forecheck instead of just turning it over along the boards. Of course that just got him criticized as being soft and weak and blah blah blah.

What year did Kaberle get concussed again? He was never the same after that. I would rank a pre-concussed Kaberle > Phaneuf but post concussion not so much.

March 2007.

 

[Teeder9]

Kaberle for me. He still put in 4 years of better hockey than anything Phaneuf has done in his 4 years here, game wise.

 

[TheThrill81*]

The 156 games Kaberle played from the lockout to the Janssen hit was better than anything Phaneuf did. Kaberle wore a letter too you know.

Ok there.

 

[diceman934]

It is not even close....Kabs was a mile better than anyone we have had....since Salming!

He played in all situations and did so very well....PP, PK and a **** load of minutes year after year.

 

[TheThrill81*]

It is not even close....Kabs was a mile better than anyone we have had....since Salming!

He played in all situations and did so very well....PP, PK and a **** load of minutes year after year.

So well that the Leafs never made the playoffs 2005 onwards while he was with the team. And there was one season where his ATOI was significantly high, which was 2005/26 (28:10). You make it sound like he averaged those minutes every season, which he didn't. Most years it was nothing out of the ordinary for a top pairing defenceman. Fact is he was an offensive defenceman who was a PP specialist and average defensively.

 

[IWD]

Pre-elbow Kaberle, followed by Phaneuf. I suspect that's when it'll start to get interesting. #3 to #10 are tossups, and I see Kaberle/Phaneuf as the top 2 concensus.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

McCabe one and Kaberle 2. Current captain is 3rd at best, even Kubina could be in the arguement. In 5 years the answer is Reilley

Never understood why they dumped Kubina in light of what they got back in return. Head scratcher.

 

[Judas Tavares]

Ok there.

Don't know what's so funny here. Before the hit, he was the better defenceman. Kaberle's ability to skate, evade, skate the puck out of the zone/trouble and passing were all better than Phaneuf. He never shot, but when he did, he could actually find the net. His iq was higher too. Not sure what Phaneuf has over Kaberle other than hitting and maybe positioning?

Phaneuf might be "the man" right now, but it doesn't change the fact that his brain and feet are severely lacking, the two areas that need to be strong in today's game. The guy has every other tool to be elite, but his slowness and his lack of iq hamper his overall game.

 

[TMLegend]

Don't know what's so funny here. Before the hit, he was the better defenceman. Kaberle's ability to skate, evade, skate the puck out of the zone/trouble and passing were all better than Phaneuf. He never shot, but when he did, he could actually find the net. His iq was higher too. Not sure what Phaneuf has over Kaberle other than hitting and maybe positioning?

Phaneuf might be "the man" right now, but it doesn't change the fact that his brain and feet are severely lacking, the two areas that need to be strong in today's game. The guy has every other tool to be elite, but his slowness and his lack of iq hamper his overall game.

Ignore him. He's a massive homer and finds no fault at all with any of our current players.

 

[TMLegend]

Kaberle and McCabe are really close imo, and Phaneuf is a distant 3rd, possibly 4th behind Kubina.

McCabe could actually put up quite a few points and wasn't atrocious defensively either has he's made out to be on this board.

Overall Kaberle was probably better than McCabe. Due to the fact he was superior defensively imo and just marginally worst offensively. There was also a period there where Kaberle was probably a top 10 defensemen in the league.