George here on the late shift...
The Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa's notebook covers a myriad of topics, and its thrust involves the roles Rob DiMaio and Tim Taylor play in the St. Louis Blues' organization, but this quip about the Toronto Maple Leafs coach's relationship with his captain...Is probably a more astute analysis of the ways in which a coach can manage a team's most meaningful player's play than anything coming out of Toronto over the next six months:
Phaneuf isn’t a bad defenseman, but he’s not a smart one. As captain, Phaneuf recognizes he’s surrounded by deficiencies. So he tries to do too much — pinch low in the offensive zone, sprint into center ice to throw a big hit, pursue the puck carrier in the corners. None of that helps his team.
It is Carlyle’s mandate to keep Phaneuf collared to his position. If he played a simpler game, Phaneuf would be a much better defenseman. Phaneuf is strong, fit, and mobile. Those attributes benefit a stay-at-home defenseman.
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