In the playoffs, it’s conventional wisdom that having guys that can defend the puck is usually a good thing. A controversial stance, to be sure, but one most teams are at the very least willing to try.
And in the past, to the point that conventional wisdom says this must be a winning formula, the best way to have defenders that can stymy shots and scoring opportunities are big guys. Enormous, 6-foot-whatever monster men who can happily knock forwards over with their superior strength, use their long reach to corral pucks in the corners, and cover plenty of space with their sheer mass.