some of these are hot takes.
players are arranged left to right, top to bottom based on how underrated they are. For example, Dubois is the most underrated of the bunch, Dach is the least. Goalies are top to bottom same way.
arizona could be dvorak.
boston could be krejci.
buffalo has eichel and dahlin. both are good - not overrated, not underrated. no pick there.
chicago - dach was the best player out of the 2019 draft last season. he put up great xWAR and WAR, and played a better defensive game than he was given credit for.
Colorado - you could make a case for Kadri, Burakovsky, Nichuskin, Girard, and Graves - any of the 6 (including Grubauer) are good options
Columbus - this dude is so good. so good. on so many different levels. he's imo a top 15 center in the league. one of the most underrated players in the league.
Dallas - Joel Kiviranta should be everyone's unanimous pick.
Edmonton - RNH tends to get overshadowed by the big 2, which makes sense. But RNH is an elite center, both at defense and offense.
Florida - You can't have an underrated team without the underrated god! Barkov has become known as the underrated one, and so much so that I begin to wonder if he's no longer underrated. Could make a case for Acciari or Weegar too.
LA - this dude still gets nearly no recognition. He's amazing. Up there with the Toews & Malkins of the league. So talented. You could make a case for Kempe here though.
Minnesota - he's starting to become more recognized, but still underrated. He has a great impact on the game. his WAR and xWAR are also on par with elite players, albeit in more sheltered minutes.
Montreal - every time this dude steps on to the ice, you know something is going to happen. A big hit, a goal, something. Great locker room presence, great all around dman.
Montreal, 2 - I couldn't decide between them, so I went with both. Price is no longer considered a top 10 goalie in the league. This man has put his team on his back on so many occasions. I've seen lists where JUUSE SAROS is ahead of him. It's not fair to Price anymore. He's still, imo, a top 5 goalie in the league.
Nashville - he's a bit overpaid for a 3C, but this is the type of player everyone wants but no one can find.
New Jersey - let me lay it out. Nico Hischier is not a bust. In fact, he was probably a better pick than Dahlin. Why? Because he works so hard. He loves the game more than anyone. And his stats show it. Hischier had the highest increase in xWAR and WAR, especially on the defensive side. He's evolving into one of the best 2-way centres in the game. Possibly one of the most underrated players right now in the league.
NYI - Obvious.
NYR - Buchnevich had an insane season. I know he was playing with some pretty awesome players, but he was amazing. He drove play, forced the puck to go in, went to the net, played a good defensive game (his defensive xWAR is top 5 relative to 20 comparables).
Philadelphia - I was going to put Couturier here, but then I remembered that he won the Selke this year (finally). Sanheim has a way of playing that doesn't catch your eye, but he doesn't make mistakes at all. And when he does, he knows how to recover easily and swiftly. His defensive xWAR metrics are among the best of his comparables.
Pittsburgh - this one was hard. It was either Jack Johnson or Mike Matheson. I almost went with both.
In seriousness though, it was hard between Malkin, Rust, Marino, and, of course, Crosby. Those wo are saying Sid isn't a top 3 center anymore are lying to themselves. Crosby reads the game like no one else does - maybe McDavid - and has a hockey IQ equivalent to Einstein's IQ. Crosby is the best player in the NHL right now. Don't @ me.
San Jose - Hertl finally got his recognition (sorta) when he made it to the all-star game. Meier, for some reason, still has not. His xWAR is amazing, and is the best on the Sharks and on his comparable list.
St Louis - O'Reilly finally got his cup and his recognition, but still has an affect on the ice that seems to go unnoticed. He generates more chances, takes more shots, and shuts down the opposition better than arguably all centres in the league. Best 2-way center in the league, hands down.
Tampa - I mean this dude is insane. Insane. His xWAR (albeit on 2nd pair minutes) is among the best in the league. Him, Hischier, and PLD are going to become the best 2-way centers in the league. And soon.
Toronto - I was debating between Mo and Marner. I know Marner is overpaid, but he also does little things no one notices. First, he's on the 1st line, 1st PP, and 1st PK. That's impressive. Second, Marner has an eye for the game that few others do. He's a special player. As for Mo, Mo is arguably the best puck moving defenseman in the league. If the league factored in xWAR more than just GF/60, Mo would've won Norris last year. He is the best transition defenseman, and also is solid at defense and even better at recovery (cue the McDavid deke on Rielly). You could go either way. I went with Mo.
Vancouver - Boeser is not getting traded. Remember a while back when he was at the All-Star Game, and he hit the 5 targets in 10.6 seconds and won? That's Boeser. That's his potential. And he's going to grow into that. Just give him 2-3 years.
Vegas - Shea Theodore is a top 5 defenseman in the league. His defensive metrics are stellar, his xGF/60 is above above average. His shutdown ability is elite. In fact, he may be the best defenseman in the league. If not, certainly the most underrated.
Washington - Probably not underrated anymore. Wilson is a one of a kind player. You could make Vrana case too i guess.
Winnipeg - as is the case with many, he's no longer underrated. Now he's won a Vezina. But for a really, really long time, Hellybuck was consistently left off the top 5 goalies, and occasionally the top 10. For the best goaltender in the league, that's not okay.
Teams I left off: Buffalo, Ottawa. Ottawa's maybe is Brady Tkachuk, and Buffalo's is Montour, but they're not underrated or strong enough to be included.
Price is both, some think he's really bad some think he's the best. He isn't either.
I like the Chychrun, Bonino picks. Meier for SJ, Hertl could also work. Vrana for WSH for me.
Price is both, some think he's really bad some think he's the best. He isn't either.
I like the Chychrun, Bonino picks. Meier for SJ, Hertl could also work. Vrana for WSH for me.
Yeah price is one of the strangest in the league when it comes to rating. I felt like Chychrun gets overshadowed a lot, he's a great defenseman, good on both ends of the ice. I felt like Hertl got his reward at the all star, but you could def switch them. I had a tough choice between Vrana and Wilson, but i feel like people just see wilson as a fighter/pest. He's way better than that. He's good at offense too.
eichel is not. he's considered a top 10 center in the league. he is. when considering younger centers, the tiers are:
mackinnon, mcdavid (generational)
eichel, matthews, petterson, point (franchise)
dubois, hischier (elite)
dahlin is also not. he's amazing. and he's recognized for it. he's a franchise altering defenseman.
i feel like there's aspects of cirelli's game (his puck control for example) that are under appreciated. he is arguably one of the best younger 2-way centers in the league. and his xWAR and WAR are on par with franchise players (albeit in 2nd line minutes) like eichel, hischier, and dubois
Teuvo far from underrated, Most underrated IMO is Slavin, Pesce, FLEURY.
tuevo's defensive game is underrated. people say all the time he's not that good at defense. he's arguably the best defensive forward on the canes, and he also produces at an elite level offensively. Fleury is def underrated. Fleury's xWAR is insane. he changes the game with these really subtle plays he makes. Slavin is now recognized as one of the top 10 defenseman in the league. used to be underrated. now he's not. he's elite, and everyone knows it. Pesce is underrated for sure, but I feel like it would be this:
TT
Fleury
Pesce
(you could go with any of those 3 really)
i feel like there's aspects of cirelli's game (his puck control for example) that are under appreciated. he is arguably one of the best younger 2-way centers in the league. and his xWAR and WAR are on par with franchise players (albeit in 2nd line minutes) like eichel, hischier, and dubois
tuevo's defensive game is underrated. people say all the time he's not that good at defense. he's arguably the best defensive forward on the canes, and he also produces at an elite level offensively. Fleury is def underrated. Fleury's xWAR is insane. he changes the game with these really subtle plays he makes. Slavin is now recognized as one of the top 10 defenseman in the league. used to be underrated. now he's not. he's elite, and everyone knows it. Pesce is underrated for sure, but I feel like it would be this:
TT
Fleury
Pesce
(you could go with any of those 3 really)
Show me one person who says hes not that good at defense
Show me one person who says hes not that good at defense
not that he's not good. that he's not the best defensive forward on the canes. TT also happens to be my favorite player in the league (after all of the leafs), so I def have some bias. Fleury prolly best pick tho.
eichel is not. he's considered a top 10 center in the league. he is. when considering younger centers, the tiers are:
mackinnon, mcdavid (generational)
eichel, matthews, petterson, point (franchise)
dubois, hischier (elite)
dahlin is also not. he's amazing. and he's recognized for it. he's a franchise altering defenseman.
dahlin is always the young defenseman that gets overlooked...when people think about the next wave of generational defenseman they talk about fox, hughes, makar, miro...never dahlin
dahlin is always the young defenseman that gets overlooked...when people think about the next wave of generational defenseman they talk about fox, hughes, makar, miro...never dahlin
just saying, hughes, makar, miro, and fox are all better than dahlin.