Yeah, that's what it all comes down to. The fact that he doesn't dominate in end of the ice whatsoever is irrelevant.
He's smart in his own end, and poised as hell, but he has not physical game, gets overpowered down low, and can be beat. He's a fantastic skater, carries the puck well, and has good zone entry. But, I don't see the overpowering set of offensive skills that would mark a high end offensive guy.
Despite the homerism here, and the snide dismissive comments from guys like you and the poster above, you're talking about a very solid 2/3 guy. I think the end product will be something along the lines of Glen Edler, solid two-way guy who gets maybe 30 - 40 points a year. Hell of a valuable guy, just not a star.
Leddy, like Boychuk and Hamonic, is a very good defensemen who we are extremely lucky to have on the team. He's simply a solid skating defensemen who has developed into a true top four guy in the NHL.
What he is not is a elite guy (or even semi-elite), a top 20 defender, a true number one, or any of that hyperbole. He's probably not even the best defensemen on the Island - at the very least that is debatable. When we had a poll on the board, maybe 50% of the voters picked Boychuk or Hamonic.
You guys are acting like some of the fanboys on the main site who want to spin every above average guy on their team to be a star.
The Isles had a bottom third defense in the NHL last season. They also had one of the worst PKs in the league. I think Cappy should be blamed for some of that, but at the end of the day our defense is not getting the job done. Leddy, like Boychuk and Hamonic, is just not a true number one, and that's part of the problem.