The phrase modern day defenceman gets thrown around so often in hockey circles these days that it’s starting to lose both value and meaning. What is a modern day defenceman? To me, it is a player with great movement and positioning skills, who works the transition game well and can provide adequate value in all three areas of the ice.
He doesn’t have to be the biggest guy, since his playing style is more important than his physique. Being smart and having great mobility can take you a long way. Guys like Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson have also shown that it’s possible to become Norris Trophy winners by being offence-first kind of defencemen.