In this edition of the hotstove we share our picks for the most overused forward in the NHL.
Todd Cordell
Maybe it's because I watch a lot of Calgary Flames games, but my choice is Troy Brouwer.
He plays 17 minutes a night, his four most frequent linemates are Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett, Kris Versteeg, and Johnny Gaudreau, and he plays on the 'top' power play unit. Despite all that, he is producing at a 32-point pace over 82 games. He also has horrific underlying numbers so it's not like he is driving play and helping out in other ways. How's that for $4.5 million per?
Peter Tessier Oh this one is easy even though the guy is injured right now- Drew Stafford. Yes I'm staying my own yard again on this subject but really he personifies the idea of overused.
Signed in Winnipeg as a UFA after being traded from Buffalo and riding a ridiculous shooting percentage of 22% after the trade Stafford gets by on pedigree for almost all situations. It's not that he's bad, he's simply not what many fans and coaches realize he is- a depth forward. For a draft and development franchise he may very well be hurting the development of some players especially when you see what Andrew Copp has done in his absence.
Adam French There are a few players that I can think of that are overplayed. Some are a bit more of a gripe than a grievance.
Rantanen leading rookies in ice time per game. Ahead of Laine/Matthews/Marner/Mantha/Nylander/Aho/Buchnevich etc. That's rather odd and a bit indicative of how badly the Avs season in general is going.
Another gripe is Vermette. I'm not as vehemently anti-Vermette as some, but he's a fourth line centre and glorified special teams player at this point.
The player most overused though to me is rather shocking. Reilly Smith from the Florida Panthers. He averages 19:16 per game. He has 9 goals and 17 points in 47 games. The amount he plays against how much he produces is simply unacceptable. He has scored only 2 Even Strength Goals this year. Just 2. That's insane for a player that plays around 14-15 minutes of 5vs5 hockey. Injuries have taken their tole on the Panthers and I get they have to use Smith more than AHL rejects like McKegg and Rau, but his production doesn't match a guy playing 20 minutes a night.
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