Welcome to the Hotstove! As always, I'm your host, Travis Yost.
A few days ago, the HB community had a candid discussion on some of the more overrated players in the National Hockey League. The criteria was pretty straightforward -- what player(s) perceived value vastly exceed(s) their realizable value?
Today's blog post will focus on the alternative -- the underrated players of the National Hockey League. As such, we're specifically looking for players whose realizable value exceeds perceived value.
Sports Illustrated recently conducted a poll among 179 NHL players asking the same, and the results were as follows:
15. Ryan Suter
14. Anze Kopitar
13. Martin St.Louis
12. Mikko Koivu
11. Tomas Fleischmann
10. Zach Parise
9. Frans Nielsen
8. Claude Giroux
7. Patrick Sharp
6. Pavel Datsyuk
5. Chris Kelly
4. Jordan Staal
3. Joe Pavelski
2. Jaime Benn
1. Loui Eriksson
Much like SI's overrated list, there's more than a handful of names I don't necessarily agree with. Pavel Datsyuk and Claude Giroux, for instance, are all-world talents and treated as such. Again, that's just my opinion on the matter.
Joe Pavelski's one player I can't endorse enough, though. I think he's noted as one of the better offensive talents in the game, but his ability to consistently drive possession and score (0.78 PPG L4 seasons) should classify him as one of the game's best forwards. Last season, Pavelski faced some of the
toughest competition of any forward in the league, and did it at a pretty comfortable $4M per price-tag.
Ales Hemsky's another guy I'd select. His reputation as a player has taken an absolute beating for a recent string of injuries -- so much so, he's essentially been marginalized in-name against more popular, younger talents in Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, et al. Much like Pavelski, Hemsky is one of the best at driving possession against tough talent, and his 0.67 PPG average the last two years certainly is a bit more remarkable when you consider Edmonton's rather-pedestrian 2.5 GPG output in the same. Further, I'd argue that his tough draws have allowed younger players [notably Jordan Eberle] to play and score in loftier (weaker comp; more offensive zone starts) minutes.
Hemsky's specific skill set may not be underrated, but he's certainly lost some of his luster amongst fans due to injuries and the team's collective struggles, but I'd wager almost every NHL team would make room for him and his comfortable 2Y/$5M annual deal in a top-six role if the goal is to (a) score; and (b) win.
Drop your picks in the comments below.
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