Quote:
Originally Posted by Serapth
Mostly because after Gio went down, Brodie showed that he could play with other players, in fact make them play much better.
On the other hand, Russel and Wideman seem to have greatly exceeded expectations and a lot of it the chemistry between them. Together are they better than the sum of their parts? I don't think so.
In NO way am I saying Brodie is a 3rd pairing DMan, he is easily a 1A/1B. He has however proven he can play with and be extremely successful with other players. In fact, it is Brodie's skill that makes him so flexible on who he can be paired with.
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Fair enough. Though I think Russell hasn't been given a lot of opportunity to show he can play better because him and Wideman played so well together last season. I think a lot of people underestimate Russell. I think he's a better defenseman than most people think - both offensively and defensively. I think he is better than the combination of Wideman/Russell (whereas I think Wideman has hit his peak - he is what he is). I think they should give Russell the chance with Hamilton to see what he can do and if he can step up his game further.