Ogrezilla
Nerf Herder
Yup.
Prime Orpik was a feared open ice hitter and a smooth skating defenseman that was an amazing partner for Gonchar for a while. Despres, is still trying to find his footing and seems to make some of the same mistakes when he was a Penguin and his short time with the Ducks.
Simon would need to get better real fast to get to Orpik's level of play when he was in his prime. I think people hated Orpik the last 2yrs so much that they forget just how good he was. There was a reason LA & NYR were throwing a ton of money at him after 2009.
Its not like Orpik stepped into the league and was immediately a great player. He struggled for a few years himself. Is 23 year old Despres as good as prime Orpik? No. Is he as good as 23 year old Orpik? I think so.