7
Oct
10 Things to Watch: Big Bucks Phaneuf
By Joshua
Forget the sophmore jinx, Calgary is more familiar with the big contract jinx. Remember Roman Turek? It seemed his play tanked the moment he signed a big contract. I dare say that Phaneuf’s signing was a more responsible one than that of Turek, simply because the Flames have had more time to evaluate Phaneuf; Dion Phaneuf is the real deal.
Still, a $7M contract will put more pressure on Phaneuf to perform, and that pressure could affect his performance. Some guys react very positively to pressure and expectations, while others crumble under it. If he can continue doing what earned him the big contract in the first place, Phaneuf will be fine.
And what is it that got him here? Let’s take a look:
Yup, that’s what we want to see more of!
