Most Underrated NHL Player

[WildCard]

Same nature as the last thread, but this time we're discussing the most underrated NHL player. Is it Kopitar?Is it Bergeron? Is it Josi? Is it ROR? My initial thought is ROR, but, then I thought of Kuznetsov, and while he's too young to qualify IMO, his teammate, Backstrom, isn't

[darksabre]

Cal Clutterbuck 

[WildCard]

In a recent players poll, Backstrom is voted the most underrated, and Tavares the 2nd most. I find it hard to believe Tavares is underrated

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/nhl-players-poll--who-is-the-most-underrated-player-in-hockey-152910474.html

Edited January 15, 2016 by WildCard

[josie]

Nikita Kucherov isn't bad and highly ignored. 

 

Roman Josi, yeah. He's getting more notoriety, though, but falls in Shea Weber's shadow. 

 

Okposo when he isn't hurt. 

[Randall Flagg]

OEL ????

[BagBoy]

No love for McGinn?

Edited January 15, 2016 by BagBoy

[pi2000]

Jamie Benn

[Wyldnwoody44]

Matt Moulson......

[WildCard]

No love for McGinn?

Eh, he's not a top player, so he really isn't underrated.

 

OEL

A very serious candidate 

 

Jamie Benn

Also another good one.

 

Matt Moulson......

If you like pina-coladas, and getting caught in a slump

If you're not into scoring, and having Jack on your couch

If you like playing on the 4th line, in the midst of the bench

Your the salary we've looked for, come to us and escape

Edited January 16, 2016 by WildCard

[Neo]

Can we consider Victor Hedman?

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Subban, P.K.

[dudacek]

Bergeron.

 

Not sure how his game is being regarded outside Buffalo this year, but I wonder if ROR is in this conversation.

[TrueBlueGED]

Hard to argue against Bergeron, but it'll go off the reservation a bit for the sake of discussion and say Braden Holtby. He's a heck of a lot closer to Price/Lundqvist than Quick is, but is seemingly never mentioned in that group.

[dudacek]

Hard to argue against Bergeron, but it'll go off the reservation a bit for the sake of discussion and say Braden Holtby. He's a heck of a lot closer to Price/Lundqvist than Quick is, but is seemingly never mentioned in that group.

And, again, I introduce you to that category of analytics called "success in the playoffs"

More a rumination on the court of public opinion versus Quick, because, over the past year and a half, Holtby is a good choice

[TrueBlueGED]

And, again, I introduce you to that category of analytics called "success in the playoffs"

More a rumination on the court of public opinion versus Quick, because, over the past year and a half, Holtby is a good choice

I just disagree with seemingly everyone on the value of playoff performance. Even going on a Cup run is a comparatively short stretch of games and I refuse to weigh 40 playoff games heavier than hundreds of regular season games. I think performing better in the playoffs than the regular season is how players get overrated, whereas most probably view it completely the opposite.

[deluca67]

OV.  I don't think fans appreciate that we are watching one of the top five players of all-time. He needs a Cup to solidify his spot with the likes of Gretzky, Orr and Lemieux.  

[dudacek]

I just disagree with seemingly everyone on the value of playoff performance. Even going on a Cup run is a comparatively short stretch of games and I refuse to weigh 40 playoff games heavier than hundreds of regular season games. I think performing better in the playoffs than the regular season is how players get overrated, whereas most probably view it completely the opposite.

Logically you're probably right. Except the goal is to win the cup.

(Remembering all the Hasek/Roy arguments I've had with Habs fans)

[SwampD]

I just disagree with seemingly everyone on the value of playoff performance. Even going on a Cup run is a comparatively short stretch of games and I refuse to weigh 40 playoff games heavier than hundreds of regular season games. I think performing better in the playoffs than the regular season is how players get overrated, whereas most probably view it completely the opposite.

So you would rather win the Presidents' Trophy than the Stanley Cup?

 

:blink:

[TrueBlueGED]

So you would rather win the Presidents' Trophy than the Stanley Cup?

 

:blink:

Of course not. But winning the Stanley Cup doesn't mean everyone in the Cup team is better than their equivalents on the Presidents Trophy team, or any other team that didn't win the Cup.

[WildCard]

OV.  I don't think fans appreciate that we are watching one of the top five players of all-time. He needs a Cup to solidify his spot with the likes of Gretzky, Orr and Lemieux.  

A guest analyst on Hockey Central called Ovechkin the greatest goal scorer of all time

[SwampD]

Of course not. But winning the Stanley Cup doesn't mean everyone in the Cup team is better than their equivalents on the Presidents Trophy team, or any other team that didn't win the Cup.

I was being facetious, but how can you place no value in playoff performance, though? Performance under pressure is a real thing, and I think I value it more than anything in sports.

[TrueBlueGED]

I was being facetious, but how can you place no value in playoff performance, though? Performance under pressure is a real thing, and I think I value it more than anything in sports.

Because I don't think we can ever truly tell if a player played better because of the pressure, or just got hot at the right time. Brian Bickell had a hot playoff run and it shaped the narrative of who he was as a player, and earned him a big contract...all based on a short run, at the right time, that he was never able to repeat.

 

Even if you take a great player like Toews, who has a clear reputation as a guy who plays big under the spotlight and in the playoffs, as well as many deep playoff runs. He still only has 117 playoff games compared to 612 regular season games. So even if his did have better playoff stats, it amounts to basically a career year's worth of games. And his playoff stats aren't any better, despite the reputation he has built up. His career playoff PPG is .87 and his career regular season PPG is .88. He's not performing better under pressure or stepping his game up when it matters, as the narrative goes--he's simply doing what he always does. He's a top player because he's great all the time, not because he's great "when it counts" or however anyone wants to phrase it.

[Iron Crotch]

A guest analyst on Hockey Central called Ovechkin the greatest goal scorer of all time

 

To score 50 in today's game is quite a feat. If he played in the early 90s he'd probably put in 80 or 90 in a season.

[Huckleberry]

jeff carter 

[Thorner]

Because I don't think we can ever truly tell if a player played better because of the pressure, or just got hot at the right time. Brian Bickell had a hot playoff run and it shaped the narrative of who he was as a player, and earned him a big contract...all based on a short run, at the right time, that he was never able to repeat.

 

Even if you take a great player like Toews, who has a clear reputation as a guy who plays big under the spotlight and in the playoffs, as well as many deep playoff runs. He still only has 117 playoff games compared to 612 regular season games. So even if his did have better playoff stats, it amounts to basically a career year's worth of games. And his playoff stats aren't any better, despite the reputation he has built up. His career playoff PPG is .87 and his career regular season PPG is .88. He's not performing better under pressure or stepping his game up when it matters, as the narrative goes--he's simply doing what he always does. He's a top player because he's great all the time, not because he's great "when it counts" or however anyone wants to phrase it.

 

This is a great post.