You are totally right (and I totally mean this with 100% honestly and not a single hint of sarcasm), Cholowski's problems have nothing to do with his physical limitations, his lack of first step acceleration, and his glaring issue of having poor defensive instincts. It's all about Blashill somehow coaching creativity (of which, none would solve his defensive woes) out of his game. Blashill riding Cholowski hard when his defensive game collapses to sub-standard AHL levels is certainly the problem here.
Now, to be more candid, Cholowski needs more time to mature physically and to certainly mature as a defenseman. He needs to learn how professional hockey players attack him, and how he can effectively prevent opportunities, or at the very least limit the opportunities to the lowest possible level of danger. All the creativity in the world won't cover up being a disaster defensively. Hell, Athanasiou has more creativity than damn near everyone on the roster, and he still gets lambasted for his inability to play engaged and effective defense, and he's a forward. Imagine how different that becomes if you are a defenseman...defense is literally in the name of the position he plays.
