Today we take a look at some of the more underrated players around the league. Who’s the most underrated first-line winger? Third-line center? Backup goaltender? Here’s my list… the All-Underrated Team. Debate it all you want!
First Line:
LW- Zach Parise
If Parise was in a premier market (i.e. Montreal, Toronto) he’d be talked up as a top-five forward in the league. He has racked up 94 and 82 points, respectively, in the last two seasons with a plus-54 rating. Despite a slow start to 2010/11, Parise is still the best left wing not named Ovechkin in the NHL if you ask me.
C- Paul StastnyLike Parise (and some of the others on this list), Stastny would be a star if playing in a bigger city. Stastny has been an assist machine ever since breaking into the league in 2006/07, and plays well in both ends. Last season he had a career-high 79 points. If the first eight games are any indication, Stastny could be setting a new high this year.
RW- Dustin Brown
The Los Angeles captain is one of those players that can glue everything together up front… he does it all. Brown scores goals, kills penalties, throws hit weight around, draws penalties, can play on any of the top three lines… and it doesn’t stop there. I think he’ll eventually turn into a consistent 30/30 player.
Second Line:
LW- Brooks Laich
Every team needs a Brooks Laich. The ninth-round pick of Ottawa in 2001 has found his stride with the Capitals on the second line. He notched 59 points a year ago and could easily put up 60 or 70 this season. Laich logs minutes in all situations… and scores in all situations.
C- Patrick SharpIn my opinion, Sharp makes the Blackhawks go and is their x-factor up front. He has scored 10 shorthanded goals in the last four years, had a career-high 66 points in 2009/10, and is a point-per-game player here in the early going for a very affordable cap hit ($3.9M). If it weren’t for Toews and Kane, Sharp may be the face of this team.
RW- Rene Bourque
After underachieving in Chicago, Bourque has fit in quite well with the Flames. He scored 27 goals in 73 games a year ago; and so far this year, is showing signs he could top that total. He’s versatile in the fact that he can play a man up or a man down, as well as either wing. For whatever reason, Bourque gets overlooked.
Third Line:
LW- Jason Chimera
Chimera’s numbers won’t raise any eyebrows, but he does a lot of the little things that can make a difference; he is also a great skater.
C- Manny Malhotra
I don’t think Malhotra gets nearly the credit he deserves. He logs the second-most shorthanded ice-time for Vancouver, and had a plus-17 rating in San Jose last year.
RW- Joel Ward
‘Wardo’ is one of my favorite players to watch as he doesn’t take a shift off and does the things necessary to help his team win.
Fourth Line:
LW- Brandon Prust
Prust will take on anyone in a fight, but can also chip in offensively if needed.
C- Scott Nichol
I’ve always thought Nichol goes unnoticed; he wins face-offs and works his rear end off.
RW- Jannik Hansen
Hansen can be a pretty valuable bottom-six forward when healthy.
First Defensive Pairing:
Ryan Suter and Brent SeabrookIf these two weren't overshadowed by Norris-caliber defensemen in front of them, they’d get a lot more face-time. Instead, Suter and Seabrook play second fiddle on the blueline, and don’t get praised enough for their true value. Suter has logged more ice-time than Shea Weber in each of the last two years. In that same time-span, Seabrook has led Chicago in combined hits and blocked shots by a wide margin.
Second Defensive Pairing:
Keith Yandle and Mark Giordano
In his first full season in the NHL, Yandle tallied 41 points from the back end for Phoenix. He’s still somewhat of an unknown around the league. Yandle was easily the Coyotes’ best defenseman last year. Giordano had a bit of a breakout season in 2009/10. He has become a go-to defender in all situations for Calgary, picking up a career-high 30 points last year.
Third Defensive Pairing:
Roman Polak and Josh Gorges
Polak, 24, is an unheralded shutdown blueliner. He led all Blues defensemen in combined hits and blocked shots last year. Gorges quietly logs the most minutes for Montreal and was a big contributor on the back end during their Cinderella playoff run.
Goaltenders:Starter- Tomas Vokoun
Vokoun has gone under the radar in two untraditional markets in his career (Nashville and Florida). I don’t think many people know just how good he is. Florida’s defense left him out to dry a lot in recent years, hence the average numbers. If Vokoun were playing in Boston or Philadelphia, he’d be flat-out dominant. All things considered, his career .919 save percentage as a starter is pretty solid.
Backup- Ty Conklin
Everyone’s first image of Conklin is his blunder way back in the 2006 final. However, if you look at his body of work in the last three-plus years (100 games, 53-29-10, 2.49 GAA, .917 SV%), you’ll understand how valuable he really is as a backup.
Coach:
Peter DeBoer
This may be a questionable/controversial pick as there are numerous other candidates as the most underrated coach (with a great track record, no less) – namely Barry Trotz and Lindy Ruff. But I’m going with the bench boss that gets little to no recognition down in Sunrise.
Peter DeBoer, just entering his third NHL season, was a fantastic coach in Kitchener and Plymouth of the OHL before making the jump. DeBoer doesn’t deserve any blame for his team not making the postseason in his first two years behind the bench. He is well-liked by his players and is a budding coach in this league. If you mentioned his name to an average hockey fan, he/she may not know who he is. If the Panthers were to make the playoffs in the next two or three years, DeBoer would deserve to win the Jack Adams.
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