I think people are being a lot too harsh on a young defenseman coming off a 30 points season, that has substantially increased his totals over the past three successive seasons, and that has done it all usually standing in the dog house, with 3rd pair minutes, little to no consistency in ice-time and linemates, and little to no consistent time on the power-play.
My opinion on him hasn't changed. Put your trust in him, use him on the 2nd or 1st pair with a seasoned veteran that can pick up the slack on the defensive end from time to time, and let him develop. This team has done too little of that over the years, and we get the results we deserve.
Above all, I'm astonished at people being willing at letting him exposed at the draft, or trade him for pennies. He's an asset. A depreciating asset we'd have next to nothing to gain from trading. And most of all, he's an underperforming asset. It'd be such a waste to give up on him before even giving him a chance to play under a suitable defensive coach for an entire season, a suitable head coach for an entire season, a suitable defensive partner for an entire season, or the tiniest bit of consistency for an entire season. We expect our young players to be consistent, but make it next to impossible for them to deliver consistent results.
Is he the smartest defenseman out there... No. But it's not like we expect him to carry a first pairing anymore. We're well past that stage. It doesn't mean he can't be of any help on a team that cruelly lacks puck movers on the defensive end.