Toronto Maple Leafs' Christian Hanson: Why People Shouldn't Give Up on Him Yet

When the Leafs first signed this top college free agent back on March 31, 2009, he was already famous before he had even played a single game in the NHL. Being the son of the famous Dave Hanson, one of the iconic Hanson brothers from the movie Slap Shot, Christian already had a reputation to live up to before he ever made it to the NHL.

Christian Hanson had a tough rookie season and found it hard to adjust his game to NHL as soon as most people were expecting. He may not have had an excellent rookie season in the NHL scoring two goals and seven points in 31 games, but his game was very solid defensively and he showed a lot of promise down the stretch on a younger and more confident Toronto Maple Leafs team.

For people who think that Hanson has showed little to convince us of his offensive upside, just look at his numbers in the AHL this past season. He was fourth on the Marlies in scoring with 31 points, but he only played in 38 games.

For his first complete pro year, spending time in both the AHL and NHL, his numbers may not be something to brag about but they are certainly not something to judge a career over.

The most comparable situation I can find (and don't think that I am actually comparing them) is Joe Thornton. Look how dominant Thornton is now. But in his rookie year the 6'4" and 235 pound beast only scored three goals and seven points in 55 games. When comparing that to 6'4" and 228 pound Hanson it doesn't look that bad.

I've been hearing from a lot of people that the Leafs don't have time to develop players and that we need to have a championship team now. All I have to say is shut up! People need to lighten up and let the kids develop at their own pace.

Don't get me wrong, I want to see the Leafs win as much as the next guy, but to trade away such promising young talent in order to find a quick fix is just stupid. There's a reason why Hanson was named one of college's top free agents in 2009 and why 20 NHL teams tried hard to sign him.

I could ramble on about the strengths and weaknesses of Hanson but I think I'll let his 2004-05 Tri-city Storm coach Bliss Littler do that for me:

“Christian absolutely reeks with character. As an individual, he is an absolutely phenomenal kid who is also great student. As a hockey player, he is a big kid who skates well who has nice and honest skills. He’s got the makings of a good power forward.

“Christian will go as far as he wants to go. He is a mentally tough kid. He has the skill level, skating ability, size, and a bit of a mean streak that we saw here from time to time. He’s a powerful skater with a powerful stride and he’s worked hard at that. As he continues to fill out his body, he’s going to be a force out on the ice and will get better at using it to his body to his advantage.

“Consistency in the physical side of the game will be an area that he’ll need to continue to improve and develop. When Christian does that it will open up other dimensions of his game. He is very good defensively. His work ethic and discipline are two of Christian’s strong suits. He is willing to give up the body for the sake of making the play. He is a smart player and understands the game very well. Christian does have good hands but he tends to have that pass-first, shoot-later mentality and we would’ve liked to see him shoot the puck more when he was here.

“I think Coach Jackson will get him to shoot more at Notre Dame. Christian has got everything that it takes to get to next level but he just needs to continue to develop and mature. I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes successful at the pro level.”

Hanson may have struggled at times during the season offensively, but he was always responsible and consistent defensively. He has been a great penalty killer for the Leafs and next to Kulemin was probably the best defensive forward on the team down the stretch.

The thing that really sticks out in my mind is his last game of the season against Montreal. He was solid defensively helping the Leafs kill off five out of six penalties and even scored a shorthanded goal. He ended up scoring two goals that game and set up Dion Phaneuf for the overtime winner while being the best player at both ends of the game for either team. Also if you want to look more in depth into that game, Montreal's goalie was Jaroslav Halak. Just saying.

I know that Brian Burke has said he wants to acquire a top-six forward for the Leafs. With lots of great young players emerging all over the league it only seems natural that the Leafs try and acquire one. However the power forward position may not be the primary focus of the Leafs in a few years. In fact they may have an over abundance if you ask me.

Hanson stands at 6'4" and 228 pounds giving him a solid power forward frame. Kulemin stands at 6'1" and 225 pounds making him a strong and solid player. And Viktor Stalberg stands at 6'3" and 210 pounds, he just needs to fill out a little more and he could be a solid power forward for the Leafs.

Also if you want to include some newly-acquired players there is Luca Caputi standing at 6'3" and 200 pounds, and Brayden Irwin standing at 6'5" and 205 pounds. Of course these two are waiting in the wings and will end up starting next season with the Marlies but if they can fill out their frames they both could also be solid power forwards for the Leafs.

The Leafs have a lot of young big guys coming up who could help make the Leafs very hard to play against. Remember the Sundin, Antropov, and Ponikarovsky line? Now imagine playing against players like that on all three lines. Oh yeah and as an added kicker all these kids can skate unlike that big line of old. Now wouldn't that just intimidate all the other teams.

People just need to chill and not jump to conclusion about who needs to stay and who needs to go. There is no logic whatsoever in trading away a rookie with a lot of upside in order to get a quick fix. Hanson fits the build of the team and will probably be the Jordan Staal of the Leafs in my opinion. Give the kid another chance and prepare to be amazed next season.

(Quotes taken from Hockeysfuture.com)