Détails additionnels:
For me the main problem with Manson is how over rated he is. He should be worth Kapanen 1-for-1, not the ransoms that Anaheim fans demand.
Offensive value:
Offensive production is not why people want Manson, but even if it isn't a problem Toronto needs to address they should still continue to improve it with the likely loss of Johnsson/Kapanen this offseason. Before the end of the season, Manson was on track for 15 points, exactly 1/3 the points Severson was on track for. This means that Manson needs to be able to stop 30 goals that Severson wouldn't have been able to for them to have the same impact on the team. He did have one great, and I mean GREAT year a while ago with the Ducks where he almost had Severson-like production, but it's been a while. Manson has an offensive point share of -0.2, meaning if he had been replaced by your average NHL defense men he would've been better offensively for the team. Remember that Severson had an OPS of 2.0, a staggering 2.2 points ahead of Manson. But this obviously isn't Mansons strong suit, so it's unfair to critique him on this.
Defensive Value:
This is where people drastically over value Manson. People like to think of Manson as this Pesce-like defensive stud, which simply isn't as true as many believe. Manson had a DPS of 1.6, which puts him in 5th on the ducks, and 5th for DMen on the ducks. Remember Severson was a 2.4, a full 0.8 ahead. However, Manson's work may not be interpreted well by statistics so lets look at his hits and blocked shots. This year, Manson had 65 blocked shots and 113 hits. More hits, less blocked shots then Severson. Manson is also 6'3, and is a great hard-hitting guy in his own end. However, did it translate into actual defensive value? Not really.
Overall:
Corsica currently has Manson ranked 96th among defensemen. There is likely a slight biased of his limited scoring, but that shouldn't be a large enough factor to drop him from 33 (What Severson is ranked) to 96. Manson is definitely a good defensive presence. However, his limited offensive skills and his general overrated-ness makes Severson the much more attractive choice