Quoting: Patrickkane
Because dmen like Gavrikov help you win in the playoffs, he also costs half as much.
D-Man like him? How's that.
Is he more physical? Nope. Dumba leads him in hits and H/60. About the only thing Gavrikov does over Dumba is block more shots. Which is commendable, but doesn't necessarily make him the better defenseman or mean that he's better suited for the Playoffs.
+/- is typically a pretty useless stat, but it speaks volumes when both D-men are a -2 this year but Dumba is a +8 over the last three years while Gavrikov is a -17 over that same timespan. Especially when Gavrikov is supposed to be a shutdown defenseman. Reportedly.
Dumba's defensive metrics are better than Gavrikov over the last three years while being the more productive defenseman. And at full retention, like he is here, he only costs $200k more than Gavrikov.
So tell me again how a defenseman whose style is predicated on positional play and blocking shots vs a defenseman whose defense is built on being physical, tough, gritty, and plays with an edge while still being a offensive contributor is better for playoff hockey?