I guess I can see the appeal that spurs players like Colorado Avalanche skater Tyson Barrie to choose to play as an offensive defenseman. In a way, he gets the best of both worlds. He gets to rove around, jumping into the most exciting aspects of the play.
Unfortunately, like many offensive defensemen, the actual defense tends to go by the wayside, especially if they don’t play a physical game.
This is especially true for little Tyson Barrie and his 5-foot-10, 190-pound frame. The most physical aspect of his game is that he can take a big check even from behemoths like Winnipeg Jets skater Dustin Byfuglien and laugh it off.