Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
Some fans don't appreciate shut down defencemen and what they bring at all. Some fans don't understand the value that rubbing a forward out, stapling him to the boards, clearing the crease, etc bring. I think in general what they contribute is misconstrued by advanced stats. Hard to quantify how much value there is in physically dominating smaller forwards and physically keeping them to the outside. Some people like to believe the NHL is all about skill and skating and that physical play is near irrelevant. That isn't reality but you won't convince them any different
Look at how much hate Engelland got during most of his time here as a prime example of the above
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Honestly, I think the Engelland hate was really isolated to a few posters who posted very often. I think the majority of Flames fans on this board and in general liked Engelland.
He's a very good number 6 defenseman who can play a bit in your top 4 if injuries hit, plus he also doubles as your enforcer meaning you don't have to play a 5 minute plug up front; just that fact alone made him valuable, cause it allowed the Flames to run 4 lines.