Should he still hold that title? Has the Toronto Maple Leafs captain improved his play under Mike Babcock enough to put the pitchforks away?
Let’s take a look at some statistics from the past three years and see how he’s looking.
Not only are they all increased, they’re all above 51%.
Phaneuf, like the rest of the team, is playing better hockey than they’ve played in recent history, but he’s also benefited from smart deployment by Mike Babcock.
Phaneuf’s competition this year is down in quality thanks to Babcock’s timing and although his zone starts are tougher he’s been able to put out better results from not having to face the top guys every shift.