In this edition of the hotstove, we share our choices for most underrated on the Chicago Blackhawks.
Todd Cordell
Connor Murphy.
Murphy is not going to give you much in terms of production, however, I think he’s about as good as it gets defensively for mid-tier blueliners. Put simply, opposing offenses enjoy much less success going up against Murphy than his teammates. That’s been the case for a long, long, time.
His teams (Arizona and now Chicago) gave up fewer expected goals – and high-danger shots – with Murphy than without in seven consecutive seasons. His impact on shots is similarly strong, posting a positive relative number five years in row.
He’s not flashy and, again, he’s not going to fill the scoresheet. Murphy’s value comes from defensive play, which is probably why he mostly goes unnoticed and doesn’t get a lot of fanfare.
Sean Maloughney The young Alexander Nylander deserves some respect for a strong first season with the Blackhawks. Nylander's 26 points through 65 games is good by it's own merit, but all 10 of his goals were scored at even strength which put him tied for 5th in scoring on the Hawks.
Averaging just a hair over 12 minutes a night, Nylander played fewer minutes than any forward above him in point production. Between Kubalik, Dach, and Nylander, the Hawks have an impressive young core brewing once more.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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