I think there is a lot to the idea that some D look better in this system (Chatfield being a perfect example) than others.
I think Skjei applies less here; I think the situation in Nashville is a combination of leaving a position where he could maximize his good skills in Carolina and going to a pairing where his partner has a lot of the same skills he does with Josi.
Which player is breaking out up ice in that pairing? Which one is shooting and moving the puck in the defensive zone? It's not Skjei in most cases unless Josi is setting him up for a one timer.
Someone (
@bleedgreen maybe?) said late last year that someone could do very well signing both Skjei and Pesce as a pairing to really up their defense. I doubt you could get them to agree on a place where a team could pay both what they could get otherwise, but we see that just putting Skjei with any outstanding partner doesn't necessarily work.
Asking Skjei to take on the more defensive role with Josi is probably a mistake. Letting Skjei be a lesser version of Josi on the second pairing would make a lot more sense if Nashville had two defensive RD to allow that.