Yeah, the defensive attributes/size just aren't worth pouring stats into. Being a body in position (speed/agility/acceleration) trumps any of the edge a defensive player has making the right play with actual defensive tools. It especially gets compounded when any of the offensive moves have absolutely no impact on stamina/puck control, so you can spam moves, protect puck, and glitch animations to your heart's content.
Also, removing those boosts from the custom builds only to still allow them, elite edges, and wheels on the premade builds is a real head scratcher.