The 15 Softest Players in the NHL

For all the toughness in the NHL, there are also some very soft players. Players who are considered "soft" are called that because they can be injury prone, can't handle physical play, don't fight back, etc.

Being called soft is one of the worst things a player in any sport—especially one playing a sport as physical as hockey—can be called.

Players take it personally, and so do coaches when their teams are labelled soft.

Let's look at the 15 softest players in the NHL today.

For updates on all NHL news throughout the season, follow Nick Goss on Twitter. Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.

Daniel Sedin

Daniel Sedin is a great player, but when games get really physical and/or chippy, he becomes far less effective.

Fair or not, the Stanley Cup Final loss to the Bruins last season really made some people question his toughness.

I mean, who let's someone beat on you without retaliating?

Henrik Sedin

Henrik Sedin is on this list for the same faults as his brother.

During the Stanley Cup Final, Henrik was unable to be the MVP-caliber player he was during the regular season because he could not handle the physical play of the Bruins.

Not often do two superstars just fold into average players when the opposing team roughs them up.

Alexander Semin

Alexander Semin does not seem to show enough determination and desire while on the ice, and if he showed more of that stuff in the playoffs, maybe the Washington Capitals would have had more success in the postseason in recent seasons.

Sean Avery

Sean Avery is one of the most hated NHL players in recent memory and even though he talks a ton of trash to many players, he will rarely go toe-to-toe with one of them. He also turtles a lot.

Olli Jokinen

Olli Jokinen has decent size but has never used it to his advantage.

He was a quality scorer with the Florida Panthers but does not play with the toughness many have expected from him.

Regardless, Jokinen has had a pretty good career.

Mike Ribeiro

Mike Ribeiro is very soft and dives a ton. His acting in the 2004 playoffs as a player for the Montreal Canadiens against the Boston Bruins was embarrassing.

With the Dallas Stars, Ribeiro has been a quality offensive player, but he remains one of the softest players in hockey. 

Jason Pominville

Jason Pominville is the captain of the Buffalo Sabres and his failure to respond or get his teammates to respond after the Milan Lucic hit on Ryan Miller earlier in the season was quite soft.

You cannot let your goalie get run over and not retaliate with a huge amount of intensity.

The Sabres need more toughness from their captain.

Rick DiPietro

New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro is quite injury prone and has not been able to stay healthy since the Islanders selected him first overall from Boston University in the 2000 NHL Draft.

He is also not very mentally strong.

Jason Spezza

Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza is another injury prone player who does not perform to the level of talent he has.

His lack of desire and determination allow him to disappear for many games at a time and be a non-factor.

Jeff Carter

Jeff Carter does not make toughness a strength to his game and he is also an injury prone player.

Carter does not stand up when games get physical, and has not played with enough of an "edge" in his postseason career.

He has just 21 points in 47 career playoff games and is a -14.

Phil Kessel

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Phil Kessel leads the NHL in goals and points this season but that does not take away from the fact that he is soft.

He does not hit enough and rarely gets very physical on the ice. Kessel has also had injury problems throughout his career

Roberto Luongo

Roberto Luongo is considered soft for a few reasons. His sulking demeanor aggravates some Canucks fans, and his struggles in the playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins have not helped him get rid of his "soft" label.

Scott Gomez

Montreal Canadiens forward Scott Gomez has had a soft reputation for years now, and he rarely battles for pucks or goes into the "greasy and grimy" areas.

For someone making a ton of money and underproducing severely he sure is a mild-mannered guy who lacks a lot of toughness.

Patrick Marleau

San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau is certainly a soft player, and does not give the effort needed on the ice to take his team to the next level in the playoffs.

His lack of desire to be physical and hit opponents has hurt the Sharks in their recent playoff failures.

Jeremy Roenick has also called out Marleau for being soft in the playoffs.

Sidney Crosby

Did you really think Sidney Crosby wouldn't be here? For all of his great offensive talent, he does whine quite a bit and complain about penalties that he thinks should have been called.

He also goes down a little too easy when checked, like in the video here. Certainly a soft player, but ultra-talented as well.

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