You can have all the skilled forwards you want, if they are having to constantly retreat into their own zone and start from
behind their net, it nullifies the skill they had in the first place.
When you have a Defenceman back there who is able to put the puck on your stick in full flight, you can transform a player from a 50 point man to a 70 point man. This is what Ehrhoff did for the twins.