He's gonna be a 3C or 4C and kill penalties on the Flyers and is being used on the Phantoms with that in mind. He's had other AHL seasons with more PP time and more production - they don't need to use him like that any more. - Feanor
By that logic we bring in an equally inept non scoring center to our 3rd 4th line so we remain the same as now?
Didn't we learn anything from pitsbrgh that 4 lines scoring is a nice cup recipe?
Just because he's being used as a shutdown guy in the AHL doesn't mean he's excelling. MacDonald was used as a shutdown guy for a while. Is he excelling?
I'm sure Sanheim has progressed, but until I see him do it in the NHL, I'm not going to assume his decision making and defensive play are better than Ghosts. - PhillySportsGuy
IT sure seems like he's excelling. He leads the team in GF%
landros 2 Season Ticket Holder Philadelphia Flyers
Location: Centre of universe Joined: 02.07.2007
Jan 12 @ 2:52 PM ET
if you got duchene or landeskog back would you? - 2Real
either would be great....Landeskog add's size skill and character....Duchene has the skill to be the Flyers best forward.....so either, depending on what goes back would be and should be welcomed. edit: Ghost plus for either.
Location: I'd do anything to get you humans out of my forest! Joined: 07.19.2015
Jan 12 @ 2:53 PM ET
He's gonna be a 3C or 4C and kill penalties on the Flyers and is being used on the Phantoms with that in mind. He's had other AHL seasons with more PP time and more production - they don't need to use him like that any more. - Feanor
It would honestly surprise me more if he was a Flyer a year from now than if he was not.
He can work on all the things he wants down there. He has over 100 NHL games and over years has presented the same exact issues across multiple seasons. There has been zero growth in those areas. He's turning 23. I'm hesitant to just completely write him off because things happen, even at that age, but this "he's gonna be a 3C or 4C" talk.....he's barely shown he's an NHL player at this point, and his center-ice work has been a disaster. He can look fine in the AHL all he wants -- but he hasn't even looked close to dominant down there. At this point, I expect nothing out of him and we'll work up from there.
(And his shooting ability would actually probably be good on the PP if they ever once tried it. It always struck me as odd why they've never tried it, except a short bit under Berube.)
That would be 5 and a game, a beatdown, and a call from DoPS - dragonoffrost
Who in the NHL today would be able to give Steve Smith a "beatdown?" Dudes in those days could give and take a punch better than anyone in the NHL today.
Today's fights are all about tying up and rabbit punching while doing your best to not get hit to sneak one in, then rinse repeat. Guys back then were not afraid of taking one to land one.
Who in the NHL today would be able to give Steve Smith a "beatdown?" Dudes in those days could give and take a punch better than anyone in the NHL today.
Today's fights are all about tying up and rabbit punching while doing your best to not get hit to sneak one in, then rinse repeat. Guys back then were not afraid of taking one to land one.
But agree with the rest. - jmatchett383
He meant a beatdown from the wife/girlfriend after she sees the bank account take a hit
Location: The East Coast Dump, NJ Joined: 10.12.2015
Jan 12 @ 3:08 PM ET
Who in the NHL today would be able to give Steve Smith a "beatdown?" Dudes in those days could give and take a punch better than anyone in the NHL today.
Today's fights are all about tying up and rabbit punching while doing your best to not get hit to sneak one in, then rinse repeat. Guys back then were not afraid of taking one to land one.
But agree with the rest. - jmatchett383
Well I was thinking in terms of today's players giving that hit.
And probably wouldn't be a call it would be an in-person really.
Location: I'd do anything to get you humans out of my forest! Joined: 07.19.2015
Jan 12 @ 3:12 PM ET
Amazing how he's been able to totally transform himself in 40 AHL games. As we know, size is #1 determinant for defensive ability as well. - PhillySportsGuy
Sanheim is a worse defender in the NZ than Ghost, and it's not close. As brilliant and active as he is on the puck and pinching in the o-zone, his passivity off the puck has been a work in progress. But he's a very smart, intuitive player and it has improved though when I see him on the Phantoms, even though Scoot Gordon actually seems to emphasize ceding the blue line and keeping them outside. I imagine that's something he'll really need NHL and Hakstol time to work on. But it is also true that he was Calgary's Karlsson. He had to do everything (with Bean) for that team. Every chance available he had to take or they wouldn't score. He had to play looser. Look at their league worst offense this year without him and an injured Bean. But even in the WHL, talks of his bad defense were always way overblown.
Now, his d-zone play has been quite solid. He is 6'4" 200+lbs, so that's just an inherent advantage over Ghost. Pinning guys and stuff he can do that Ghost can't. But in terms of innate defensive ability, he's very much a stick checking, not so physical guy. Kind of like Ghost. This "Ghost can't defend!" talk that never ceases because of biases against players like him.....no, he's not Provorov. But he's a highly intelligent player who uses his speed, hockey sense, stick work, and tenacity to be a good defender, occasional turnovers and lapses (which come with the territory) aside. Sanheim is kind of similar. He might not be a shutdown guy here, but he'll be solid in coverage and great in transition. If he's as good defensively as Ghost, with a handful more inches, that's a compliment honestly. But, yes, due to his size he will be presumed better than Ghost defensively, even if that remains to be seen, and given a more 2-way role.
edit: Ghost plus for either. 
