#5. Dion Phaneuf
If you were to tell me that Phaneuf would turn into one of the most hated Toronto Maple Leafs of all-time on January 31, 2010, I’d assume you were joking. When the team acquired Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames in a seven-player deal, I was incredibly excited.
Phaneuf was struggling a little bit in his fifth year in Calgary, but the first three seasons of his career were incredible. Named as finalist for the Calder Trophy in his rookie year alongside Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, Phaneuf scored an impressive 20 goals that season. His point totals progressed every year after that, before taking a step back in his fourth year.
During his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Phaneuf was a serviceable defenseman. He was definitely a top-four player, but Brian Burke and the entire organization treated him as the savior. Being named the captain of any team is a big responsibility, but following Mats Sundin in the biggest hockey market in the world is almost impossible.
However, that’s what Phaneuf had to do and it didn’t go particularly well. With so much pressure on his shoulders, he didn’t live up to it, and it didn’t help that he signed a seven-year contract worth $7M per season as well. After that contract was signed, the fan-base that hadn’t already turned on him, instantly revolted him and couldn’t wait to ship him out of town.
It was an unfortunate end to Phaneuf’s career in Toronto and a huge lesson to management that expectations are vitally important. If Burke hadn’t put so much pressure on thinking Phaneuf was god’s gift to hockey, then maybe his time in Toronto wouldn’t have been so grim and he would have just been another decent defenseman to ever play for the organization.