Niedermayer, 2020 Hockey Hall of Fame class discuss young NHL defensemen

TORONTO --Scott Niedermayer said he looks at the crop of young NHL defensemen like Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars and is wowed by what he sees.

A Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman himself, the 48-year-old said the offensive skills of some of these defensemen in the NHL right now is as high as it's ever been.
"The defensemen you mentioned, they can all handle the puck now," Niedermayer said after participating in the adidas Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday. "When I started, I was kind of one of maybe a couple of guys on the back end that could do it."
With the new era of defensemen around the League being a hot topic these days, NHL.com hosted a roundtable on the subject with Hall of Fame members Niedermayer, Larry Murphy, Kevin Lowe and Doug Wilson, all defensemen, and Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland, who won the Stanley Cup three times in the same role with the Detroit Red Wings.
Niedermayer scored 740 points (172 goals, 568 assists) in 1,263 NHL games during 18 seasons with the New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks. Inducted into the Hall in 2013, Niedermayer won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman with the Devils in 2003-2004 and the Ducks in 2006-07.
Murphy was inducted into the Hall in 2004. The 60-year-old scored 1,217 points (288 goals, 929 assists) in 1,615 games with the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, and is the fifth highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history.
Lowe scored 431 points (84 goals, 347 assists) in 1,254 regular season NHL games for the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers. The 62-year-old won the Stanley Cup five times with the Oilers (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990) and one with the Rangers (1994).
Wilson scored 827 points (237 goals, 590 assists) in 1,027 games with the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks. The 64-year-old, who won the Norris in 1982, is GM of the San Jose Sharks.
Holland was Red Wings GM from 1997-2019 and had the privilege of watching seven-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom (Class of 2015) on a nightly basis.
Lowe, Wilson and Holland are members of the Class of 2020 and will be officially inducted into the Hall on Monday.
Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice once said it takes him at least 170 games to judge how good a defenseman will be because it takes that long to learn the position. How do you explain how some of these young guys are developing so much faster than that?
Lowe: "That's a good question. You think of the era where Paul Coffey came in, where Larry Murphy came in, there were offensive-minded defensemen back then. But when it comes to the Makars, the Heiskanens, young defensemen like that, it starts at a younger age. Those types of players are appreciated by coaches at a younger age because now they're seeing they're such an integral part of the next level that then those players get developed. They're not shoehorned into being something they aren't, right? They get to be creative and do their thing."
Niedermayer: "It's the way the game's played now. It's so fast. Size isn't the advantage it used to be. Skating is, and skill, puck control and possession, that's what teams are looking for now. Maybe the D-man that could do that 30 years ago wouldn't have had an opportunity in the NHL back then. Maybe they were, well, maybe not the skill level of today, but they were some smaller, good skating defensemen that maybe didn't get that opportunity back then. But the game's just different now so they are getting opportunities."
Wilson: "It's a difficult position to play, and I think there are adjustments to be made especially when you come up so young. Obviously there is a responsibility that goes with the role, especially when you're playing in all situations, but some of these young D-men today, they handle it brilliantly. There are so many players in our game today that are making an impact at such a young age and, when it specifically comes to defensemen, it's amazing."
You mentioned coaching. How much is the attitude of a coach a factor?
Lowe: "It's so important. Paul Coffey is the second-highest scoring defenseman in NHL history (1,531 points). Can you imagine if he didn't have Glen Sather as his coach in Edmonton? I mean, who knows what would have happened? There were certain individuals who didn't think 'Coff' was NHL-worthy when he first entered the League. Glen focused on getting the most out of Coff's strengths instead of trying to always fix the weaknesses. I think more and more coaches are like that today."
Murphy: "What I like about it is that these young guys have more impact offensively than we've seen. Coaches are promoting that. There seemed to be a point where defensemen were basically just told to stay in their own end and stay out of trouble, and now you just see the pendulum swinging. I guess it's a product of the talent that's coming through now. These guys can wheel and deal and be extremely effective with the puck and add to the offensive punch. There's always the expectation to play well defensively, which they do, but I'm excited. I love the way the position is trending with these kids. We saw some of that in the wide-open 80s, and it's great. I think it makes for a better game and definitely much more exciting. I love to see these guys get involved as much as they do."
Holland: "It speaks to the grassroots of hockey. I think growing up, there were great young defensemen and these players, these athletes, decided they wanted to play hockey and they wanted to play defense. The skill level, the ability to skate and pass the puck and join the rush and do the things that they do, Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar and the others, it just speaks to the grassroots of hockey because it's got to start (at a young age). You don't all of a sudden at 18 do that kind of stuff. So, it speaks to all these tournaments, the U-16s, the U-18s, the U-20s. They get to watch hockey all the time. When I grew up, the first period wasn't even on TV. So, I just think there's more knowledge, more education and the skill level is just so high, and others follow."
Any particular young defensemen you enjoy watching?
Murphy: "I'm an analyst for Red Wings games with Bally Sports in Detroit, so I'm really impressed with Moritz Seider with the Wings. He went No. 6 overall in the 2019 NHL Draft and when Steve Yzerman picked him, some of the TV networks were saying it was maybe higher than expected. He's played 16 games and I've seen him play every game, and it's just impressive how he has enough confidence. He's got the ability, the confidence, enough poise and enough belief in his game that he's willing to stick his neck out; not recklessly, but he's got a hunger. He'll get right in the thick of things and will not think twice about it. Sometimes it goes awry like it's going to at times, but he'll be right back there again. It makes it very effective playing the game that way and it's difficult for the opposition to play against him. He's always looking to create offense."
Niedermayer: "I live out in [British Columbia] so I catch a lot of Canucks games, so I'd say Quinn. He's fun to watch. And a young guy who's from my hometown in Cranbrook, Bowen Byram (of the Avalanche), is having a nice start this year. He's another skilled defenseman, and it's nice to see him having some success. He's a guy I'm kind of cheering for. I know his dad well. But I enjoy watching all of them. I just enjoy watching them do what they do because they're doing things we could never dream of."
-- NHL.com staff writer Tim Campbell contributed to this report