This concept has been and gone. Do we need a Patrick Traverse-like defensman? Well, maybe it doesn't hurt if said defenseman is dirt cheap ($500k?) and you only look at him as your #6/7 spare guy. But as others have already said, we've got that already with Streit. No need to add redundancy in that area.
Tanabe is like twice time the defenceman Streit is.
I think Streit is a better defenseman... he started off pretty badly (as he needed to get used to the North American game) but was very decent as a #6/7 towards the end of the year. Good guy to have as a spare part.
I remember him as an amazing skater with a great shot, a primium candidate to be a real offensive dynamo...while being a growing liability in defence...
That said, at 26, I would take a guess if I'm able to sign him to a 2-way contract without having the risk of loosing him if I call him back. History is full of d-men developping at 27-28-29 years old. If Tanabe develop at the third of his offensive up-side while strenghtening his D play, he would make a pretty good 6-7 d-man to have around if Markov got hurt. + he's younger than Streit.
Tanabe turns the puck over too much and isn't interested in playing defense or using his size. He has tons of talent and a big body, but he refuses to play hockey.
Tanabe turns the puck over too much and isn't interested in playing defense or using his size. He has tons of talent and a big body, but he refuses to play hockey.
There are similarities, but that doesn't mean that one automatically follows the other's career. Hedican could have washed out of the league before his 30th birthday if he hadn't worked to become a sound NHL defenceman; the jury is still way out there for Tanabe.
I think Streit is a better defenseman... he started off pretty badly (as he needed to get used to the North American game) but was very decent as a #6/7 towards the end of the year. Good guy to have as a spare part.
I agree, Streit is a good piece to have, he also brings in some solid work ethic. I think we'll see his gave at a new level once he gets the rythm of the NA game. Probably won't be better than a bottom pairing guy, but I could see him having a +/- of +5 this year.
This concept has been and gone. Do we need a Patrick Traverse-like defensman? Well, maybe it doesn't hurt if said defenseman is dirt cheap ($500k?) and you only look at him as your #6/7 spare guy. But as others have already said, we've got that already with Streit. No need to add redundancy in that area.
I love it how Dirt Cheap = 500,000$ per year in the NHL
In this case, like many brought up, the best move is the one NOT made. Tanabe is a defensive liability and doesn't provide the offense to make up for it.
Yeah! And not only are you paid that much, you've been hired as a spare tire? I'll take a half million to be the spare tire in the trunk...
Simple, you just need to be amongst the top 1000 hockey players in the world.
If you could replace a borderline NHL player with Joe Schmo off the street, he'd get paid $40K a year. Since you can't, they get paid a pretty good salary to be a spare part.
Now you could make a decent argument about spare part actors being replaced by Joe Schmos off the street, since that actually does happen from time to time.
