He has been an above average stretch passer. Not an nhl defenseman
Saying the best stretch passer in the NHL is not an NHL defenceman is pretty hard to give credit to, especially given how important that skill is in the modern NHL.
Even more so when said defenceman is 42nd in the entire NHL ice time and 32nd in even strength ice time while putting up a 52% possession% and a 54% goals for%.
Then there's the 44th in overall D points and 34th in D ES points, while also being a +7 on a losing team.
He's got flaws and most of them are without the puck in his own zone. But he is a net positive and an above-average NHL defenceman by both the eye test and the numbers.
There is no reasonable argument that can be made to support the bold.