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In this edition of the hotstove we look at some of the most underrated forwards in the NHL.
Todd Cordell
I'll go with Jordan Staal.
He doesn't put up point totals that jump off the page (he has 57 points in 103 games since the beginning of 2015-16) but plays the toughest minutes coach Bill Peters can find for him and dominates while doing so.
In that 103 game span, the Hurricanes have controlled more than 55% of the shot attempts at 5v5 with Staal on the ice. Without Staal that number dips below 50%. The Hurricanes have also scored 51.1% of the goals with Staal on the ice. Without Staal they have scored just 40.3%(!).
He consistently plays against the league's best players yet more good than bad happens when he is on the ice. He is an extremely important player to Carolina and one who doesn't get nearly enough credit.
James Tanner
I would say it's Nino Niederreiter, who I think would get more love if spelling his name wasn't such a pain in the ass. Seriously, though, he is well on his way to his third straight 20 goal season and he is an elite defensive player. Last season, he was third in the league among forwards who played at least 1000 minutes in shots allowed/60. He was the only one of the top 4 who doesn't play for the Sharks. Also, of his 43 points, 35 came at 5v5. which is not only excellent but shows he could probably be at least a 30/60 guy instead of the 20/40 guy he has been with a little more PP time. Also in the running: Nazem Kadri and, somehow, Joe Thornton.
Adam French
There are many players that are severely underrated and are gaining ground because they are having a monster year. My answer will be rather vanilla.
When you list the top forwards in the game, many names come up. Your Crosby's, Ovechkin's and P. Kane's. Up and comers like Tarasenko or Seguin enter the discussion. Two-way Cup winners are always at the top like Bergeron, Toews and Kopitar. Plus the new wunderkind McDavid.
Who doesn't? Joe Pavelski. Yet as he ages, he seems to get better. He has always been an excellent two-way player, but it never defined him. He plays all forward positions and never complains. He's an excellent goal scorer, yet never really been able to be "the best." He has been a staple of consistency for a half-decade.
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