Just my opinion here. He's a good third pairing guy. He's got a good hockey IQ/head. He's good with positioning, and has decent offensive instincts when allowed to utilize them. He's got a pretty good shot. His foot speed is awful, and overall speed is awful, and skating leaves something to be desired. Which isn't the end of the world, as he's a third pairing guy, and makes up for those lacking areas with the good positioning I previously mentioned. He can occasionally make a mistake on his decisions to pinch due to his speed/skating issues, but they've been less and less with the more experience he has gotten.
I'd say he's a great 5/6, with the ability to slot up into the 4 slot if absolutely necessary, but only if necessary. He's much better suited on the third pair.
Through the second half of last season, I honestly would say he was the 3rd or 4th best D on the team behind only Keith, Hammer, and occasionally Seabs.
Kempny was better, but saw minimum ice-time.