To avoid this page turning into an essay contest I'll just reply to a couple points.
I know a lot of people believe this but I disagree. I don't think teams necessarily figured Ghost out and I think we are seeing that with his play the last few weeks or so. Ghost is a player that feeds off confidence. When he's in that zone, he's extremely difficult to contain- when he's not thinking and he's just playing. After a good start to the season he hit a rough patch. Nothing was going in offensively and every other shot was going in on the defensive side. He went from one of the "luckiest" players in the league last year to one of the "unluckiest". And then came the healthy scratches and getting called out for his play away from the puck. Everything just kind of snowballed and I don't quite think he knew how to react. To me it looked like that had an effect on his game. He looked like a kid that was afraid to make a mistake and that's the last thing you want with a player like him.
He looks more like the player we saw last year so hopefully those stretch of games earlier in the year were just a blip on the radar. Oh and getting a new partner will probably help him too. Outside of a few games with "Good MDZ" last year, he's played with absolute slop in the NHL.
They should drill defensive fundamentals. You have to get the puck back and you have to prevent scoring chances. I just think some coaches get carried away and force a young talented defenseman to play a game that is not tailored to their strengths. There are plenty examples of players in this league having success playing the modern or "unconventional" way. Show them where to be when the other team has the puck, get out of the way, and don't be afraid to play your best players in close games because they might make a mistake (because they might just make a play too coach).
I believe strongly that defense at the NHL level is more about the team than the individual and offense at the NHL level is more about the individuals than it is about the scheme. John Hynes can get the Devils to play defense, but he can't get them to score goals because they lack skill. Sure there are times when a player is going to be asked to win a one-on-one matchup or win a 50/50 puck, but for the most part, if you have a good system in place, you can prevent goals.
A guy like Nick Schultz is someone most would describe as a good defender in the literal sense. But he's most likely going to find himself out of the league next year or in training camp on a tryout deal trying to make another club. Why? Because he can't make enough plays with the puck. He's a guy in the critical situations of the game, the best realistic outcome is that the other team doesn't score, much like with PEB and VDV up front.
You can always shelter a poor defender against top lines, but you cannot shelter a poor offensive player away from the puck. The game revolves around it. You have to be able to handle and make plays with it.
One thing I'll never understand is when people talk about forwards it's always about what they bring offensively and rarely what they lack on the defensive end. Why are defensemen different? They aren't goalies. Their job isn't to just prevent goals. They have sticks in their hands too, they just occupy different areas of the ice. Travis Konecny for example, is not what I would call a good defensive player, but he generates a lot of offense and I would say his net impact this year is a positive.
They do have a nice collection of different skill sets in the system that they should be able to mix and match with some success in the future. You have Provorov the solid all-around guy that can do a bit of everything. You have Ghost with the creative puck handling and bomb of a shot. You have Sanheim, also an offensive guy, but with a completely different style than Ghost. Morin is the low maintenance defender with a rare blend of height, weight, and speed. Myers is a bit of a cross between Sanheim and Morin. And maybe Hagg can fill out the bottom of the roster.
