So they need to learn to get the puck out quicker and/or hold the blueline.Except that Hjalmarsson and Vlasic play almost their entire 5on5 minutes defensively, and is rarely given offensive roles. You can't expect a player to shut down players 25 minutes a game. PLayers that play the most play both offensive and defensive minutes. Ekholm and Giordano for example plays more defensive minutes, but is given both. Hjalmarsson and Vlasic are almost purely used for shutdown, similar to Larsson last season with the Devils. Ellis, Josi, and especially Karlsson and Burns are given more offensive minutes.
Those 2 things go a long way defensively too.