Based on my conversation with several scouts, here is an objective assessment of the transactions. For the most part , the Toronto- Calgary deal, seems to have win-win potential for both clubs. The most talented player in the Toronto –Calgary trade is obviously Dion Phaneuf. He is regarded as a number 2 or 3 defenseman in terms of where he is at right now. In other words, he is not in the Nicklas Lidstrom or Chris Pronger category of defensemen, but few players are. It seems he had regressed somewhat under coaches Mike Keenan and Brent Sutter. Why is that ? As was explained to me, these coaches are “negative motivators”. This coaching tactic relies on fear, which can be effective, but can also “wear guys out”, as I was told. The fear is based on the coach sometimes belittling the player in question, or using threats. This tactic may have limited the further development of Dion Phaneuf. It could also be the case, that the bar was set too high, in terms of the expectations for Phanuef, from when he first entered the National Hockey League, with him being thought of by some as a potential super star player.
So the next question is how might Phaneuf fare with Ron Wilson as his coach ? It must be pointed out, and no surprise to anyone, that the Leafs coach is not a positive motivator either. Having said that, Ron Wilson is assessed as a “brilliant technician”, and that is thought to have been a big factor in the very surprising development of Ian White, into Toronto’s 2nd best defenseman, just behind Tomas Kaberle. White is not a number 2 defenseman for most NHL teams, but any NHL team would have wanted him, and he could play for any team in the league as solid number 4 “D” man , on even the very best teams. The point is, that even with Wilson’s negative motivational tactics, he still gets credit for the work he has done with Ian White. So the bottom line question on the best player in the trade, is can Wilson get Phaneuf to a higher level of play, or will his style also wear on Phaneuf, as was the case with Keenan, and Sutter ? We will all have to wait and see. In terms of the rest of Phaneuf’s skill set, he has a “howitzer shot”, as one scout described it,he’s very tough, although he is not in the heavyweight category of tough guys. Then again, fighting for most teams, has diminished importance these days, and do you really want a skilled defenseman sitting in the penalty box ? I don’t think so !
As for the other components of the trade, Toronto did give away quite a bit of scoring, in Niklas Hagman especially, with his 20 goals, and 13 assists. Hagman has been on other teams shopping lists, because he competes around the net, and almost every scout would describe him as a good second line player. Matt Stajan for most scouts, is a third line player, who can occasionally fill in on a second line if need be. Stajan has 16 goals, and 25 assists this season. Jamal Mayers is obviously in the twilight of his career skill wise, but he did come to Toronto with an excellent reputation for being a very good teammate, and a good role model for younger players to learn from , in terms of being a professional and adapting to the NHL.
Keith Aulie was described to me as a defenseman who has has number 4 to 6 potential in the NHL, and is described as “shut down” blue liner, and as one scout put it, “ a better skating Hal Gill'’, with the scout recalling that Gill did tremendous work for the Penguins last year in the playoffs, in that specific role. Aulie was also described as being “big, strong, a great skater,has a good first pass, covers a lot of ground, and is a good penalty killer. The only knock on him, was that he sometimes was not too“bright'” in terms of hockey sense, from one scouts perspective. Pertaining to Fredrik Sjostrom , another scout described him as a great skater, who works hard, but is not gifted offensively, and is a 4th line player.
In terms of Jean-Sebastien Giguere, he has fallen off from what he used to be, and is now , comparatively speaking, a middle of the pack goalkeeper, compared to his NHL peers. Having said that, one scout conveyed to me that a change of scene, might lead to Giguere getting back to the goalkeeper he used to be, but that is a possibility, and not a definite conclusion right now. Obviously, contracts were a big factor in the trade between Toronto and Anaheim.
i will have further reaction to these deals, later this week, at www. latenightvampire.com.