Ian Esplen: Who's the Most Underrated? Who's the Most Underrated?

CBC News Alerts‏@CBCAlerts

NHL games cancelled through Nov. 30 as deadline passes . No talks scheduled as lockout of players heads for Week 7.

Roberto Luongo is the most underrated player in the league (not joking).

Roberto Luongo is the most underrated player in the league (not joking).
- Scooby_Doo

First time I have ever heard you say something nice about a Leaf player.

Canucks Hockey Blog‏@canuckshockey

Congratulations to Gary Bettman on reaching 2,000 NHL games not played due to a lockout. That's quite an achievement.

Kyle Brodziak

Blake Wheeler

David Backes

Kyle Brodziak

Blake Wheeler

David Backes
- robin_steele264

pretty sure most hockey fans know who Backes is and know that he's pretty awesome.

Canucks Hockey Blog‏@canuckshockey

Congratulations to Gary Bettman on reaching 2,000 NHL games not played due to a lockout. That's quite an achievement.

- VANTEL

You would think Gary would want to stop doing these lockouts. I really is the only thing that will keep him out of the Hall of Fame, although I'm sure Jacobs and Snider will push him in.


I saw a report yesterday that the NHL brand is worth 25% less than it was two monthes ago.

I'm thinking the owners will win this, but I have to ask is there a point to getting the pie to 50/50 if the pie shrinks to 1/5 of what it was was?

If they figure they are a 3 billion dollar business now, imo, it is going to take 7-10 to build it back into that.

Kyle Brodziak

Blake Wheeler

David Backes
- robin_steele264

If anything...Backes is overrated...

Eriksson

Luongo

Hamhuis

Girardi

Dan Hamhuis

Steen
Korpikoski
Eriksson
Pominville
Robidas
Nikitin

You would think Gary would want to stop doing these lockouts. I really is the only thing that will keep him out of the Hall of Fame, although I'm sure Jacobs and Snider will push him in.


I saw a report yesterday that the NHL brand is worth 25% less than it was two monthes ago.

I'm thinking the owners will win this, but I have to ask is there a point to getting the pie to 50/50 if the pie shrinks to 1/5 of what it was was?

If they figure they are a 3 billion dollar business now, imo, it is going to take 7-10 to build it back into that.
- IanEsplen

I can say that I won't be spending one cent on the NHL this year. If they ever do return I won't be watching on a regular basis . I can see myself watching on a Friday night or Saturday if nothing else is on . Monday to Thursday I will be watching other things.

Dan Hamhuis
- LeftCoaster

Hamhuis is so underrated he doesn't even get mentioned by other teams fans in the underrated category. He takes the cake for sure. He's had better defensive numbers than Chara over the last four years. Yet he never gets mentioned and he never get's put on anyone's Olympic mock teams. Wouldn't they want a top two NHL shutdown defenseman on the team. Arguably Canadas best in the defensive zone......

Steen....

If anything...Backes is overrated...
- Boinker

The guys an animal.

those guys can all go (frank) themselves

I can say that I won't be spending one cent on the NHL this year. If they ever do return I won't be watching on a regular basis . I can see myself watching on a Friday night or Saturday if nothing else is on . Monday to Thursday I will be watching other things.
- VANTEL

I'm feeling like I did with baseball when they cancelled the season.

I used to watch 100 games a year, now I watch 5 at the most. I haven't bought any gear either since then.

Like you said, I will watch when it's on, but do I have a whole lot of interest going forward.

F*U*C*K NO

And I'm an aspiring sports journalist. If I feel this way, there are other journalist out there that feel the same way as well. So how the hell is the NHL suppose to market themselves and sell the game if the main medium they use has absolutely no interest in them?

I'll be spending my time looking at Amateur/Olympic sports from now on.

Hamhuis is so underrated he doesn't even get mentioned by other teams fans in the underrated category. He takes the cake for sure. He's had better defensive numbers than Chara over the last four years. Yet he never gets mentioned and he never get's put on anyone's Olympic mock teams. Wouldn't they want a top two NHL shutdown defenseman on the team. Arguably Canadas best in the defensive zone......
- Boinker

Admittedly I'm not a Van fan but I've always been a Hamhuis fan. I wonder if the Finals would have been different had he been healthy...don't think enough was made of his injury (at least outside Van) and the impact on the d-corps.

No hockey this year, the Sedins will be one year older. Is the end of the road near for them? Once they hit >34 they'll be around 50 point players, I was really hoping Hank would get to 1000 pts. He's had to endure two lockouts now

I'm feeling like I did with baseball when they cancelled the season.

I used to watch 100 games a year, now I watch 5 at the most. I haven't bought any gear either since then.

Like you said, I will watch when it's on, but do I have a whole lot of interest going forward.

F*U*C*K NO

And I'm an aspiring sports journalist. If I feel this way, there are other journalist out there that feel the same way as well. So how the hell is the NHL suppose to market themselves and sell the game if the main medium they use has absolutely no interest in them?

I'll be spending my time looking at Amateur/Olympic sports from now on.
- IanEsplen

I bought more jerseys in the past 5 years than my life combined....




granted, they were bought while in Asia

Phaneuf

Jason Spezza. He never gets mentioned in the same breath as the top players, but here's some career pts/gm stats for Spezza compared to other Star players.

Spezza 1.02 pts per game


Ilya Kovalchuk 1.01 points per game
Pavel Datsyuk 0.98 points per game
Brad Richards 0.92 points per game
Eric Staal 0.89 points per game
Rick Nash 0.81 points per game

Phaneuf
- Leafland

Get ready to be flamed.

Honestly, I used to be anti-phanuef because lets be real...he's pretty difficult to like as a person but he's such a huge part of our team now, he's pretty irreplaceable for us. It doesn't matter about the consistent numbers he puts up or what he does for the Leafs, he'll never be loved in this league.

Jason Spezza. He never gets mentioned in the same breath as the top players, but here's some career pts/gm stats for Spezza compared to other Star players.

Spezza 1.02 pts per game


Ilya Kovalchuk 1.01 points per game
Pavel Datsyuk 0.98 points per game
Brad Richards 0.92 points per game
Eric Staal 0.89 points per game
Rick Nash 0.81 points per game
- trolleytracks

He's still a giveaway machine!