Why not Dion in Sochi?

[fsdev905]

How do you win a Norris despite your coach? That sounds hilarious.

Sounds hilarious to you because you follow the Leafs and not the Canadiens.

Ask someone who watches every single Canadiens game and they will tell you the same.

 

[DD03]

Sounds hilarious to you because you follow the Leafs and not the Canadiens.

Ask someone who watches every single Canadiens game and they will tell you the same.

Player plays an average of 4 minutes on the PP a game but yeah his coach didn't help him win the Norris, which he won because of offensive numbers... Right.

 

[34]

Simple, Not good enough.

There are may D ahead of him to be on the team.

 

[The_Chosen_One]

Yup and how many did Tavares and Crosby score this year?

Lemme guve you a hint, their combined total rhymes with Hero.

Grabovski is the bigger reason why our opposition's top lines scored against us. He wasn't good enough in that role, and usually opposing coaches would shift their top guys away from Phaneuf. Usually in that situation, you'd expect forwards to play their part ( ala Bergeron, Datsyuk, Turris, etc), but we didn't have Bolland at that time.

Now we have a much more legitimate shut down unit, and, coincidentally, very success against Crosby, etc. I expect that to get better. Our problem, at the moment, is taking on teams that can drive effective possession with depth (i.e. Chicago, etc).

 

[Bluelines]

If you followed the Canadiens, you'd know that he won it DESPITE Therrien. The Habs won despite Therrien.

When he had to start coaching down the stretch, the Canadiens started losing. They completely exposed vs the Senators in the playoffs.

They actually started to lose when Emelin went down and PK was forced to play vs better opposition.

Actually it was Therrien that chose to keep Subban away from the PK and he also chose to keep PK away from the other teams top lines, so if you actually watched the Habs like I do you'd know, it was BECAUSE of Therrien that PK won the Norris and not in spite of Therrien.

If you believe that an award given by the PHWA is the be all and end all of a players ability well then I got a question for you, how can a guy who only played FOUR games as a LW win recognition as the 2nd best LW in the league? I'll give you a hint, the PHWA is made up of a bunch of lazy lemmings that typically vote based off the name on the back of the jersey and not necessarily off the performance of the player.

Do you remember back when best all around meant best in all aspects of the game and not just the best on the PP? Sigh..those were the good old days...

 

[ULF_55]

Am I the only one confused by this? Canada is short at LHD. They have two locks for the team, and they want to bring at least 3 LHD to the Olympics.

Why is it Phaneuf doesn't seem to be in the conversation? He is one of the better d-men in the league, and he is definitely a top 6 Canadian d-man.

So why is a guy like M.E Vlasic being thrown out over Dion Phaneuf? Phaneuf is no slower then Shea Weber, so it can't be the big ice....

What gives?

They're looking for the 8 best Canadian defenders.

End of story.

 

[diceman934]

Im sorry what?

I wonder if u want dion out of here because he is blocking rielly in the future for #1D.

Dion is much better than subban

Subban is a better player in my opinion and to say that he is blocking a rookie from being a number 1 is a joke.

I believe that Hockey Canada will agree with me and take Subban over Dion, but what do they know!

 

[diceman934]

the under rating of players on other teams and the over rating of players on your own team is sickening IMO....please. The entire hockey world recognizes PK Subban as one of the best up and coming defencemen in hockey. I dont like him..I absolutely loathe the Habs but seriously man....why embarrass yourself?

Just because Leaf fans think their captain is a top defenceman in this league who deserves Norris consideration...it doesnt make it true. Why don't you stick to pumping Kessel's tires or something. At least the guy is the real deal.

You sir are 100% correct. I hate the Habs always will....as well.

 

[highslot]

i don't remember webber being slower than phaneuf. but we'll see. phaneuf doesn't even crack the top 6 in offense, positioning etc. you have webber, doughty, keith, pieterangelo. then you can add letang, seabrook, boyle or subbhan. need more pp offense? you can throw in green.

and is accounting for the fact that dion is playing his best hockey as a leaf so far.

 

[General Fanager]

im not sure he makes the top 8 but Phaneuf deserves to be in the conversation IMO

 

[Al14]

im not sure he makes the top 8 but Phaneuf deserves to be in the conversation IMO

Sure, if they were playing on an NHL ice surface. However, Phaneuf does not have the foot speed to play on large ice with the best players in the world as opponents. So, for that reason, I don't think he really deserves to be in the conversation as you claim.

I think our Leafs would be better served if Phaneuf was able to rest during the Olympic break.

 

[Shoebottom]

On a big ice surface you gotta think Subban is way more valuable than Phanuef. PK has crazy wheels. Probably the best in the NHL. As good as he has been for your team, there are plenty of other Dmen who are better than Phanuef at this point.

 

[Chandrashekhar Limit]

Keith
Seabrook
Weber
Doughty
Pietrangelo
Subban
Letang
Vlasic

The first 5 are straight up better 2 way players than Phaneuf, and the last 3 are excellent skaters who will be much more useful in addition to those guys on big ice than Phaneuf.

He could and should be in the conversation, but he isn't gonna make the team unfortunately. Maybe if Canada decided to take 10 D, which will never happen.

 

[Mess]

The other night Nik Backstrom danced around Phaneuf as if he was standing still.

If team Canada evaluators were watching the game it would have added the foot-speed and big ice concern to having Phaneuf on the team in Sochi.

While Dion has had a relatively strong season defensively overall, he still has some weaknesses that would cause valid concern for TC.

 

[The Blue Devil]

The other night Nik Backstrom danced around Phaneuf as if he was standing still.

If team Canada evaluators were watching the game it would have added the foot-speed and big ice concern to having Phaneuf on the team in Sochi.

While Dion has had a relatively strong season defensively overall, he still has some weaknesses that would cause valid concern for TC.

Didn't Kessel and JVR dance around Weber pretty easily in our victory over them, does that mean he also shouldn't go? I mean it was pretty embarrassing how easy it was for them. Not even mentioning that they're playing for our rivals USA, now can really take the chance of having them have their way with Weber on the open ice? Especially in an elimination game, seems like a big liability to me.

 

[ACC1224]

The other night Nik Backstrom danced around Phaneuf as if he was standing still.

If team Canada evaluators were watching the game it would have added the foot-speed and big ice concern to having Phaneuf on the team in Sochi.

While Dion has had a relatively strong season defensively overall, he still has some weaknesses that would cause valid concern for TC.

Can you list all the defenders who have never been "danced around"?

 

[zeke]

The other night Nik Backstrom danced around Phaneuf as if he was standing still.

If team Canada evaluators were watching the game it would have added the foot-speed and big ice concern to having Phaneuf on the team in Sochi.

anyone watching Phaneuf shut down the Ovie line that game better than anyone has all year would have been running to sign him up for Team Canada.

 

[Mess]

Didn't Kessel and JVR dance around Weber pretty easily in our victory over them, does that mean he also shouldn't go? I mean it was pretty embarrassing how easy it was for them. Not even mentioning that they're playing for our rivals USA, now can really take the chance of having them have their way with Weber on the open ice? Especially in an elimination game, seems like a big liability to me.

I'm going to predict with 99.99% certainty barring injury that Weber will be on Team Canada.

The odds that Phaneuf will be are significantly less then that.

If you're a bubble player as opposed to a mainstay as in this example, then you're going to be far more scrutinized when it comes to the selection committee. IMO

 

[Faltorvo]

Keith
Seabrook
Weber
Doughty
Pietrangelo
Subban
Letang
Vlasic

The first 5 are straight up better 2 way players than Phaneuf, and the last 3 are excellent skaters who will be much more useful in addition to those guys on big ice than Phaneuf.

He could and should be in the conversation, but he isn't gonna make the team unfortunately. Maybe if Canada decided to take 10 D, which will never happen.

And your missing JBO

 

[ACC1224]

I'm going to predict with 99.99% certainty barring injury that Weber will be on Team Canada.

The odds that Phaneuf will be are significantly less then that.

If you're a bubble player as opposed to a mainstay as in this example, then you're going to be far more scrutinized when it comes to the selection committee. IMO

Are you stating that none of the other "bubble player" have been beaten or is Phaneuf the only "bubble player"?

 

[Mess]

Are you stating that none of the other "bubble player" have been beaten or is Phaneuf the only "bubble player"?

How can Phaneuf be the only "bubble player" when the team is taking 7 or 8 Dmen and the evaluation committee had 17-18 Dmen at its evaluation camp alone?.

Anyone that isn't a guarantee Weber, Keith, Doughty etc is a bubble player trying to make the team, and are being watched closely and evaluated regularly both their strengths and weaknesses.

In the same game that Phaneuf got beat by Backstrom, Don Cherry highlighted during coaches corner outstanding 2-1 defensive plays by other TC bubble dmen Seabrook and Bouwmeester. Everything is taken into account when making the final selections.

 

[Bluelines]

anyone watching Phaneuf shut down the Ovie line that game better than anyone has all year would have been running to sign him up for Team Canada.

Wasn't it Dion that laid a beating on Ovie during the WJC's, was that on a big ice or the small North American ice?

 

[ACC1224]

How can Phaneuf be the only "bubble player" when the team is taking 7 or 8 Dmen and the evaluation committee had 17-18 Dmen at its evaluation camp alone?.

Anyone that isn't a guarantee Weber, Keith, Doughty etc is a bubble player trying to make the team, and are being watched closely and evaluated regularly both their strengths and weaknesses.

In the same game that Phaneuf got beat by Backstrom, Don Cherry highlighted during coaches corner outstanding 2-1 defensive plays by other TC bubble dmen Seabrook and Bouwmeester. Everything is taken into account when making the final selections.

Don't ask me. You're the one that brought up Backstrom beating Phanuef in the 1st place.

If the Selection Committee is watching Don Cherry to make their evaluations, Canada is in big trouble.

 

[studebaker17]

Wasn't it Dion that laid a beating on Ovie during the WJC's, was that on a big ice or the small North American ice?

can't remember where it was held that year but he put in 1 of the most dominant tourney's i've seen out of a dman

 

[LeafsNation92]

Dion won't be in Sochi because he is slow and makes poor decision definsively, he is overrated, makes me sick to my stomach to potentially pay him 7 years at 50 mil