Defensemen are harder to place a value on than forwards.
You can look at a forward and assess the body of work based on the numbers.
Points, goals, plus/minus, advanced statistics and so on can draw parallels to other forwards.
With defensemen, sure you can look at offensive production, plus minus and time on ice, but there’s so much more to it than that.
All things being equal, a franchise defenseman is probably the most difficult asset to acquire in the NHL. Look at the struggles that the Bruins had on the blue line in the interim betweeen Bourque and Chara.
What might things have looked like had Z not fallen into their laps in ‘06?
Question is, what is Charlie now and what is his ceiling? Is he a top 15, franchise centerpiece defenseman?