Hockey is a star’s sport. Every team has their guys that produce above all else. Every team also has their depth players and their duds. Usually, every player fills some sort of role on the team. However, sometimes that role gets a bit over-exaggerated in the eyes of fans and leads the player to get a reputation they maybe don’t quite deserve. This is every team’s most overrated player.
Anaheim Ducks: John Gibson
There was a time when Anaheim’s starting netminder lived up to his reputation as the saving grace in the net. However, that was a long time ago. The last few years haven’t been terrible for Gibson, but they haven’t been star goaltending either. Gibson hasn’t had a save percentage above .904 since the 2018-19 season. His GAA has averaged around 4 in the last few seasons as well. Not exactly the numbers you expect from a guy with his reputation.
Arizona Coyotes: Nick Bjugstad
The Coyotes were a hard team to pick because quite frankly, they don’t have much in terms of big names and the big names they do have, such as Clayton Keller, have earned their reputation. Bjugstad made a name for himself in Florida and has since managed to keep that name value for most of his career. However, his production hasn’t really matched that name value in quite some time, nor did it ever really. He’s only scored over twenty goals once in his career, and he’s never reached the fifty-point mark.
Boston Bruins: Kevin Shattenkirk
Shattenkirk was considered one of the best defenseman in the league for a long time, and with good reason. However, age catches up to us all, and at 35 years old Kevin is no longer the star defenseman he used to be. While his points totals are still respectable, Kevin has only been on the positive side of the plus/minus statistic two times since the 2014-15 season. His average ice time has steadily decreased over the last few seasons and the once-elite defenseman has seen himself take more of a backseat role.
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Buffalo Sabres: Victor Olofsson
Olofsson is widely considered to be one of the best players on this Buffalo roster, and that is probably true, but does he completely deserve all the high praise he’s getting? Despite being a terrific power play scorer, Olofsson’s numbers do falter a bit at even strength. He also doesn’t really play good defense. That seems harsh, but the man has only finished on the positive side of the plus/minus once in his career. His point totals are respectable, consistently finishing around 40-50 points, but he’s probably not worthy of all the high praise he receives.
Calgary Flames: Jakob Markstrom
A couple of years ago Markstrom was a Vezina trophy finalist and was the backbone of what appeared to be a contender Calgary team. Since then, a lot has changed. Markstrom is still a good goalie, but he struggles with inconsistency and has yet to refind that Vezina form. Despite this, Calgary still heavily relies on him, and he suffers more from it. He has not shown the ability to carry this team since he was a Vezina finalist, yet is still forced to play the role of this team’s saving grace. He might just not be that guy in Calgary.
Carolina Hurricanes: Martin Necas
I might get a lot of flak for this pick due to how beloved Necas is in Carolina, but sadly I stand by it. Necas is very flashy. He’s a fantastic stick handler and can wow audiences with this. However, his offensive numbers still haven’t matched his potential or the praise he receives from fans. However, his flashiness manages to distract from this and he gets a high reputation around the league as a top offensive player despite his numbers not technically backing that up. His 71-point season last year was a step in the right direction of finally realizing his potential so hopefully, he stays on that road.
Chicago Blackhawks: Taylor Hall
Taylor Hall was the first overall pick of the 2011 entry draft and while he has put up decent numbers in his career, he never quite matched the potential he was hyped up to have. This is made worse by the fact that Tyler Seguin was drafted right after him and has outperformed Taylor in just about every metric. Taylor has only scored over 60 points twice in his career and he never was able to lead Edmonton to glory as they hoped. Since his 93-point season in New Jersey, his numbers have steadily declined every season, outside of one flash of his former glory in Boston.
Colorado Avalanche: Zach Parise
It’s been a long fall from grace for Parise. At the end of the 2012 season, he had just made the Stanley Cup finals and was one of the most sought-after free agents in the league. He ended up signing a massive long-term deal with Minnesota… and it was all downhill from there. After multiple disappointing seasons, Minnesota eventually bought Parise out of his contract and he was since left in limbo. He finally joined Colorado midway through this season but has yet to make any real impact. He carries some of his former name value, but that’s about it.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski
A few years ago you could hardly find a Columbus fan that wasn’t singing Werenski’s praise. He came to this team as a rookie and made an immediate splash with a 47-point season. The sky was the limit for Zach. That being said, Werenski is still a fairly good player even if his numbers have been a bit rise and fall since his rookie year. But he was not the saving grace Columbus was hoping him to be and he has not been able to keep this team above water.
Dallas Stars: Tyler Seguin
It feels a bit weird to have Seguin here after just mentioning how he’s outperformed his draft mate Taylor Hall, but the fact of the matter is, Seguin hasn’t been the same guy the last few seasons. While still a great player and a key piece in this Dallas roster, he’s no longer been the 70-80 point scorer he’s believed to be. With all the talent this team has from top to bottom, Seguin seems to have lost a bit of his shine. Seeing how he’s still at least scoring 50 points a season though, I’d say he’s far from done still.
Detroit Red Wings: Patrick Kane
A lot of people are going to get upset at this as Kane has long been one of the best offensive players in the league. I’m not taking that away from him. But a lot of Kane’s success has come from the great teammates around him, especially these last few years. Before leaving Chicago, Kane was helped greatly by Alex Debrincat. After they were separated, Kane’s production took a pretty decent hit. Kane himself has slowed in terms of production the last few seasons anyway. He also just isn’t a very good defensive player.
Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse
This one may be no fault to Nurse himself, as Edmonton just isn’t a very good defensive team. Nurse is still quite good when it comes to putting up offensive numbers, but first and foremost he is a defenseman. He is one of the better defenseman on this team, but he also turns the puck over. A lot. While he is certainly a key piece to the blue line on this team, Edmonton’s’ shortcomings defensively mean he really shouldn’t be compared to the top defenseman around the league like he usually is.
Florida Panthers: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
When Ekman-Larsson finally decided to leave the Coyotes for greener pastures, it seemed like every team was gunning to have him. An offensive phenom with the potential to genuinely be one of the best defenseman in the league, who wouldn’t want him? However, since leaving Arizona, his production has begun to falter, having yet to score over thirty points since leaving his long-time team. Since coming to Florida, a team stacked with talent, it seems he’s been lost in a lot of the shine around him. No longer in that star role that he has become so accustomed to, yet still has the star around his name.
Los Angeles Kings: Pierre-Luc Dubois
Dubois is a good player to have on any team. He’s a big, physical center with faceoff ability and actually some pretty good technical skills for a guy his size. The issue isn’t his ability to play hockey, it’s that his skills and production value just aren’t worth the amount of money that LA signed him for. An 8-year deal worth 68 million dollars just doesn’t make much sense for a guy who’s only scored over 50 points three times in his career. Given that he’s on pace to finish the season with less than 50 this year, the contract just doesn’t make much sense. He’s making the same amount as Leon Draisaitl with a lot less production.
Minnesota Wild: Marc-Andre Fleury
When you think of Fleury you think of one of the best goaltenders of all time. While he certainly is that, he’s not one of the best goalies in the league anymore. While he still has the athleticism to make a phenomenal save here and there, it’s painfully obvious that Fleury is in the twilight of his career. Since leaving Vegas his numbers have dropped slowly but surely, and he’s having his worst year since his sophomore season in Minnesota at the moment. He’s certainly not completely washed up, but he’s not the guy he once was either.
Montreal Canadiens: Brendan Gallagher
Gallagher has been one of the faces of the Montreal franchise for a long time. The question is, why? He’s only scored over 50 points twice in his career and has never reached the 60-point mark. Yet, he’s often the player people think about when they think of the Habs. The answer is probably in his theatrics. Gallagher has a knack for pandering to audiences and riling up opposing teams, and fans tend to get caught up in that. While he certainly is good at what he does, it’s more than likely his theatrics have gained him a reputation he doesn’t quite deserve.
Nashville Predators: Ryan O’Reilly
Let me start this off by saying O’Reilly is one of the best centers in the league. That cannot be disputed. But his overrating comes from people claiming he’s on the same level as Patrice Bergeron and John Tavares. While O’Reilly is a phenomenal player in his own right, he’s not a franchise legend the way those two have been for their respective teams (Bergeron for the Bruins and Tavares for the Islanders). This is one of those rare cases where a player very much is an elite talent, but still gets overrated.
New Jersey Devils: Timo Meier
Meier was a star on the Sharks for quite a while. He has not been that same star in New Jersey. Be it the fact that he’s just simply outshined by players like the Hughes brothers, or the fact that he’s just simply had a different role on this roster, Meier is no longer the player that people think of when they think of his name. This isn’t to say Meier has regressed significantly or isn’t a good player, just that he isn’t up to the same standard he was once held to in San Jose.
New York Islanders: Bo Horvat
Horvat was the face of Vancouver for years. The issue is, the way that people speak of him you would think that he’s putting up Nikita Kucherov numbers and well… he just isn’t. His points total this year is actually the highest he’s ever had in his career, and he’s not even at the 70-point mark yet. I like Horvat and he deserves the praise that he gets, but for different reasons. He’s a strong leader and one of the most consistent players you will ever find in the NHL. This makes him reliable and a good man to have in any locker room.
New York Rangers: Alexis Lafreniere
I’ll try not to be too hard on Alexis. Partly because I like him and partly because he’s en route to his first-ever fifty-point season which is hopefully a sign that he’s finally coming into his own. That being said, you do expect a bit better when it comes to a first-overall pick. Lafreniere was drafted first overall in the 2020 entry draft, but since then he has seemingly struggled to really find his stride and find it consistently. The talent and the potential are very much there, but he’s yet to fully tap into it and bring it out. He’s had a strong season this year and hopefully, that’s a sign of better days to come.
Ottawa Senators: Josh Norris
Don’t get me wrong, Norris has one of the best shots in the league right now. But he lacks the ability to create space and opportunities for himself. This massive shortcoming in his game is what’s prevented him from truly becoming the breakout star he’s been projected to be every single year. When he can get the space he can absolutely rifle a shot into the net, but he has to become better at getting into goal-scoring opportunities. Until then, he’s going to be stuck having a rating greater than his actual production.
Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton
By all accounts, Laughton is a terrific locker-room presence. That’s shown by the fact that for most of this 2023-24 season, he was the only player to wear an “A.” That being said, some Philly fans seem to think he’s the next coming of Claude Giroux (which is funny considering they didn’t even appreciate Giroux until he was gone). Not only does Laughton not match the same production numbers Giroux did, he doesn’t even come close. While Giroux was putting up 70-80 point seasons, Laughton has yet to ever even break the 50-point mark. He’s never even reached the twenty-goal mark.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Jeff Carter
Carter has a heck of a wrist shot that much can’t be denied. However, his actual goal-scoring ability has always been relatively teammate-reliant. Despite not doing well in any offensive metric he always seems to put up decent point totals due to the teams around him. This led Pittsburgh fans to believe he was actually worth the money Pittsburgh extended him with. The true fact is, Carter is getting old and even in his prime he was fairly inconsistent. This last season has kind of shown that ugly truth in its entirety.
San Jose Sharks: Mikael Granlund
With a team as awful as the Sharks that also has absolutely no notable names, finding an overrated player was pretty hard. The only player that remotely fit the bill was Granlund. Despite having a relatively successful career in Nashville, Granlund hasn’t really done much in San Jose. When he was traded here he was expected to really boost this lineup, and to no fault of his own, he hasn’t really been able to do that. You can’t blame him for failing to meet expectations though, it would’ve taken a miracle to save this team.
Seattle Kraken: Kailer Yamamoto
When Spokane native Yamamoto arrived in Seattle everyone was ecstatic. Not only would a Washington native be playing for Seattle, but he would certainly be able to bolster this offense and help them get back in the playoffs. Turns out a lot of Yamamoto’s offensive success came from his teammates in Edmonton. With no real core to this team, Yamamoto has been completely unable to stand on his own in any real significant way. He may not even hit the twenty-point mark this season.
St Louis Blues: Jordan Binnington
Binnington has once again fooled Blues fans into thinking he’s one of the elite goaltenders in the league. Despite regularly showing inconsistency and showing good, but not elite numbers, Binnington has managed to reign fans in once again by having a pretty good year this year. That’s what he does though. He has a really good season and manages to keep his job while he goes back to just putting up decent numbers that nowhere near fit the reputation he has made for himself. That way he can keep throwing tantrums in the net and blaming everyone else but himself when things go wrong. That seems harsh, but if you look up Binnington on YouTube, a lot of the videos are of him being quite angry. Who hurt you Jordan?
Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman
At one point Hedman very much was deserving of the title of one of the best defenseman in the league. While he may still have the offensive numbers to back that up, defensively he has looked a bit regressed. He’s pinched when he shouldn’t and has overall just looked regressed and slower. He’s managed to stay on the positive side of the plus/minus, but that could also be attested to having good teammates to back him up. I think Hedman is still a fantastic player, just maybe not the defenseman fans brag about.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Jake Muzzin
Muzzin looked like the future of the Kings’ blue line. He was an offensive producer who brought a physical presence to the blue line that struck fear into the hearts of offensive players. When he came to Toronto, Leafs fans were ecstatic. However, Muzzin has yet to live up to the same reputation he has become known for from his time in LA. His offensive numbers have dwindled and he hasn’t at all been the same elite defensive player he was in LA. On top of that, he’s struggled to stay healthy. Leafs fans insist he’s still a top defenseman, but he hasn’t shown it in the great white north just yet.
Vancouver Canucks: Elias Lindholm
We had to go with the newest player on the roster. Vancouver made quite the buzz when they acquired Lindholm from Calgary. He was expected to bring an even deeper offense to this already stacked forward core. However, since arriving in Vancouver, he hasn’t really done much of anything. He only has nine points in 22 games played and he seems to have more goals scored against when he’s on the ice than for. It could just be that he’s struggling to fit in with the new system and teammates, but it could be something deeper as well.
Vegas Golden Knights: Alex Pietrangelo
Pietrangelo was the star of the blue line in St Louis for a very long time. However, since moving to Vegas he’s been outshined a bit by the likes of Alec Martinez and others. He’s also just slowly been regressing. While he still puts up respectable offensive numbers, a lot of that can be attested to his teammates really helping him out as opposed to anything he himself has created. He’s also just been slower and a bit more of a depth player than the star he used to be. He just doesn’t quite live up to the name he built for himself in St Louis anymore.
Washington Capitals: TJ Oshie
Oshie is another player who built a fantastic name for himself in St Louis. Hands down one of the best stick handlers in the league, Oshie became accustomed to dazzling audiences with his dekes and slick hands. He brought a lot of that to Washington as well and continued to live up to his name if not more. Except for the last few seasons. Not only have his offensive numbers begun to dwindle, but his ability on defense has lacked quite a bit as well. He also just cannot stay healthy. Oshie hasn’t played over sixty games in a season since 2019-20. When he’s on the ice he still dazzles with his hands and I think that makes fans forget that he’s not the player he used to be.
Winnipeg Jets: Laurent Brossoit
Brossoit did a great job bailing Vegas out last season when every goaltender they had seemingly got injured. And to his credit, he’s having a great season this year as Hellebuyck’s backup. But he’s also only played twenty games this season. And Winnipeg fans seem to have forgotten why they originally got rid of Brossoit in the first place. He’s inconsistent. He shows flashes of brilliance, but can’t ever seem to keep it around. However, due to his spectacular play last season with Vegas and his play this year, Winnipeg fans seem convinced that he’s turned a corner. Maybe he has, or maybe it’s just smoke and mirrors.
