Exactly.
I always refer to this type of player (I use Brooks Orpik and Kris Russell as examples) as lose-less players. Someone who will slow the bleeding by playing a tight own-zone defensive game, but won't help you get into the offensive zone and start generating offense.
I think there's a place for these players (no matter how good you are, you will chase games sometime and winning games you don't deserve is part of it), but I value them a lot less than I do the other kind.
Ya, for sure. I mean it is simple but I recall having this conversation at hockey the other day. Some guys always yell "get it out, get it out". like the puck is a hot potato. I looks good in the sense that you are clear of immediate danger, but what happens then? you just gave the puck away, so the other team is going to be right back, and repeat, get the puck and "get it out, get it out". Any way, it actually gets quite complicated to really measure it, but I think dmen like Bourque, Karlsson, would often take to long with the puck in their zone and end up looking bad. but isn't so easily seen is that they so often get the puck into the opposing zone by keeping possession. Larsson has to be one of the worst for that actually, he often just sends the puck down ice, just clears it. You need some one to take a bit more risk but get the puck on say McD's stick flying out of the zone. its all about possession.
Any way, I think many don't get what makes a truly great dman. The idea that a dman just defends and thats it. That they just "get it out" is silly. that makes for a terrible dman who constantly going to be defending.
