There isn’t a shortage of stars in today’s NHL. Whether it be the young guns in Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews, or the old vets in Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, the world’s premiere hockey organization has its fair share of big names. However, it takes more than superstars to win a championship. It takes a full team and unfortunately, sometimes the names of those teammates get a little lost in the shadows. These players deserve as much praise as they can get for the roles they play, but oftentimes don’t receive it as much as they should. Here are ten underrated players in the NHL today.
10. Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers)
Konecny is a big reason why the Flyers are finally moving in the right direction. Drafted 24th overall in the 2015 entry draft, it didn’t take long for Konecny to find a roster spot with this team. Every season since has seen him become better and better and solidify himself as one of Philly’s best scorers. Yet, despite hitting the thirty-goal mark for the second season in a row, Konecny is rarely talked about among other scorers in the league. This is a shame because the kid not only has talent but has become a massive locker room presence as well.
9. Phillip Danault (Los Angeles Kings)
Danault might not put up twenty to thirty goals per year, but that’s not really his role. His role is to be the absolute best depth piece you could ask for. Danault might not light up the scoresheet, but he is often a key piece in making plays whether he gets credit for the assist or not. He’s also a very good faceoff player, which allows his team to get possession of the puck often. On top of all of this, Danault is a very solid defensive player. He always gets back on the back check and helps out his blue line in whatever way he can. He’s a leader and a team player through and through and hopefully one day he gets the respect he deserves.
8. Mark Scheifele (Winnipeg Jets)
There are a lot of players on the Jets you could claim are underrated. A big part of that is the Jets just don’t get as much attention as other teams around the league. Pair that with the likes of Kyle Connor making waves in Winnipeg right now and you could be forgiven for forgetting the man that has stuck by this team since day one. Scheifele is hands down one of the best centers in the league, and he’s a phenomenal scorer in his own right. But his biggest contribution is his ability to boost whatever line he’s on. Players playing with him have their own games elevated regularly, and Scheifele deserves praise for that.
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7. Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks)
The Canucks deserve all the credit in the world for emerging from their rebuild in such a massive way. With their lineup as stacked as it is, it can be easy to forget a measly goaltender sitting among the ranks. But Demko does not deserve to be forgotten. He has been the backbone of this team while they continued to build around him. He continues to be a solid beacon of light for this team even this season. It was shown last year as well, when he has a down year the entire team suffers. Vancouver relies on this man, and he doesn’t often get the credit he deserves for it.
6. Semyon Varlamov (New York Islanders)
When you’re the backup to a goalie as good as Ilya Sorokin, it can be easy to fade into the shadows a bit. However, Varlamov has been underrated for the vast majority of his career. In his sixteen-year career, Varlamov has only finished with a sub .900 save percentage once. Yet he is rarely talked about with the best goalies in the league. Even now, despite being the backup to Sorokin, Varlamov has put up comparable numbers to him. And Sorokin is considered one of the best goalies in the league. One can only hope that Varlamov gets the respect he deserves before he retires.
5. Ryan Graves (Pittsburgh Penguins)
When you play on a blue line with Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson, let’s be honest. You’re going to get forgotten about. Don’t doubt this man though. He’s just as sturdy on the defensive line as the other two. He may not have the offensive touch that Letang and Karlsson have, but not every defenseman needs to. He’s a physical, big man who’s rarely caught out of position and makes offensive players work day in and day out to get around him. Someday it would be nice to see players like that get a little more credit for the work that they do.
4. Jordan Staal (Carolina Hurricanes)
Carolina is an absolutely stacked team from top to bottom. With players like Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov recently added, it’s easy to see how some of the depth players on this team might fade out of the limelight a bit. But you have to stop and think. Staal is the captain of this team for a reason. While he may not get 50-60 points seasons, and he may even be slowing down a bit, Staal brings a presence to this team that I don’t think gets appreciated enough. He brings an imposing physical presence to the ice that helps create space for teammates as well invoke his pace and his game. He’s an underrated playmaker as well and he’s solid defensively. Most teams would kill to have a captain like Staal on their roster.
3. Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
You may find it hard to believe that a player that regularly gets 60-90 point seasons is underrated. But the fact of the matter is, that Point plays on the same team as Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Andrei Vasilevsky. It’ll be hard to make a name for yourself with those guys around regardless of your point total. However, it needs to be said that Point is a big player for this team. He was a key piece in the Cup wins a few years ago and he continues to be one of Tampa’s top producers year in and year out. He deserves to have his name mentioned more, but sadly that’s not how this sport works sometimes.
2. Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals)
If you’re a Caps fan you probably have all the respect in the world for Backstrom. If you’re not, you could be forgiven for sometimes forgetting he exists due to all the headlines surrounding Ovechkin. That being said, there may not be an Ovechkin without a Backstrom. Ovechkin is one of the greatest goalscorers in hockey history, but his game was undeniably boosted by having Backstrom alongside him. He doesn’t score fancy goals, but Backstrom is one of the best passers and two-way forwards in the league and he undoubtedly boosts whatever line he is playing on. Ovechkin himself would probably tell you what a great teammate this guy is.
1. Claude Giroux (Ottawa Senators)
Poor Giroux. Things already looked bad when he was selected in the same draft class as Sidney Crosby. Giroux isn’t Crosby by any means, but he puts up some pretty dang good numbers in his own right. However, due to Philly’s collapse while under his captaincy and having to share the spotlight with Crosby, Giroux often gets forgotten about by those around the league. He never got the credit he deserved in Philly, often being blamed for the lack of success. He moved to Florida only to have them collapse in the playoffs. Now he’s on a middling Ottawa team. Hopefully, Giroux gets some semblance of respect before he retires.
