Quote:
Originally Posted by 1qqaaz
But the NHL seems to be increasing the importance of offensive defensemen, specifically powerplay quarterbacks. Powerplays are really starting to dictate games.
Some offensive defensemen may be pretty one dimensional. But it's a pretty darn important dimension.
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Yeah, ideally if a defenseman is on the ice for 20+ minutes a game, you want them to be able to contribute at both ends. A lot of people say he has the tools there though. It's just hard to have faith when you don't see the numbers, but I understand that many of the European leagues are different when it comes to how young players are developed.
Silayev is the kind of defenseman that with his speed and reach, he'll nullify a lot of dump ins by the opposing team with his speed and reach. I realize that it's not exciting like scoring goals, but teams that can do that regularly tend to win more. He also strikes me somewhat as a Weegar kind of defenseman who breaks up a lot of zone entries with his stick. I think these things will produce offensive transitions even if it doesn't show up on paper.