Patrick Johnston: Shifting defensive demands making one-skill blue-liners obsolete

In many ways, the hellacious showing over the last two games for Erik Gudbranson best illustrates how the game has changed for NHL defencemen.
The numbers don’t lie: Gudbranson was on the ice for seven of the last nine goals conceded by the Vancouver Canucks. His defensive partner, Ben Hutton, has been on for five.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to be for the big blue-liner. When he was drafted third overall in 2010 by the Florida Panthers, the plan was he would become a stopper,