Every NHL Team's Biggest Lightning Rod in the 2014-15 Season
There is at least one player on every NHL team who takes more heat than any of his teammates. The reasons vary, but the lightning strikes them frequently.
These players might be underachievers or have a reputation for being dirty, lazy or indifferent.
They're the lightning rods of the NHL, and we've picked one from every team. Click through to see the selections and the criticisms.
Anaheim Ducks
1 of 30
The player: Corey Perry
The criticism: Call us crazy, but Perry has a tendency toward aggressiveness. Some might suggest he's...ahem...dirty. There is mock shock on Twitter whenever he seems to cross the line. He's been suspended, busted for embellishment and caught on camera being a little mischievous. The criticism comes from fans of other teams. Making it worse is the fact he's such an incredible player.
Arizona Coyotes
2 of 30
The player: Mike Smith
The criticism: The Coyotes goaltender was being outplayed by backup Devan Dubnyk for the first half of the season. So what did the Desert Dogs do? They traded away the better backstop, of course. Smith is their long-term investment, with four more years to play on a six-year deal that pays him $6 million per season.
While Dubnyk finds himself in the Vezina Trophy talk as the go-to goalie for the Minnesota Wild, Smith finds goals going in off his butt. His worst season in three as a starter in Arizona has opened him up to fan anger and media criticism.
Boston Bruins
3 of 30
The player: Brad Marchand
The criticism: Like the Ducks' Corey Perry, Marchand has a propensity for getting into trouble. It isn't just fans who think he's dirty, either. Players aren't shy about voicing that same sentiment. His most recent trouble came as the result of a slew foot just a couple of months ago.
Because his actions occasionally cost his Bruins, his name has surfaced in some trade speculation, which he took exception to and ripped into reporters over. Some media members are often deserving of a good rant, but it doesn't endear Marchand to anyone.
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Buffalo Sabres
4 of 30
The player: Cody Hodgson
The criticism: After leading the team in scoring last season, Hodgson is having the worst year of his NHL career. People who believed he was a cocky or spoiled player after his trade out of Vancouver are looking at this year's dip and smirking. Because of his massive falling off, he's been listed as a potential buyout candidate by Bleacher Report's Lyle Richardson.
Calgary Flames
5 of 30
The player: David Jones
The criticism: Earlier in the season when he was doing nothing offensively, it was that he would never again match his formerly productive years despite the talent he has shown as a power forward. Since he's been much more inclined to chip in down the back stretch of the season, though, the complaint is that he chooses when to turn on the effort.
Carolina Hurricanes
6 of 30
The player: Alex Semin
The criticism: Considering how poorly he's played recently, it's not unfair to suggest that he's cashed in and checked out after signing a big-money, long-term deal with the Hurricanes as a free agent before last season. He earned the $7 million average with a one-year contract for the lockout-shortened season, during which he played at a point-per-game pace. His numbers dipped a year ago but not to these depths. He's been a healthy scratch at times as a result this season.
Chicago Blackhawks
7 of 30
The player: Corey Crawford
The criticism: Despite being the Blackhawks' best player for much of the last couple of months, especially with Patrick Kane out with a shoulder injury, the goaltender can't seem to get any credit from the masses. With his numbers, he should be talked about in the Vezina Trophy race, but he seems to be behind more than just the top two favorites on most short lists.
Being the goalie who just has to be decent and not spectacular because of all the talent in front of him, Crawford may never get the respect he deserves. There is an advancing movement of those recognizing the unfair criticism, however.
Colorado Avalanche
8 of 30
The player: Matt Duchene
The criticism: It's a backhanded compliment, really. More often than not this season, you'll hear a casual comment like "Why isn't Matt Duchene better" coming out of someone's mouth at an Avalanche game. Despite blazing speed and a gifted set of hands, the 24-year-old has taken a step backward in point production this season. A big one.
He was at the cusp of becoming a point-per-game player in the lockout season and was one point away from reaching that mark last year. This season he will put up his worst PPG average since an injury-riddled 2011-12 campaign.
Columbus Blue Jackets
9 of 30
The player: Jack Johnson
The criticism: He's never lived up to his perceived potential as a third overall draft pick. While putting together his fourth 30-plus-point season, Johnson is still considered a disappointment after such high hopes he would become one of the league's premier offensive defensemen. Los Angeles shipped him out in the Jeff Carter deal, and the Kings have won two Cups since then. Johnson, meanwhile, was left off the U.S. Olympic team.
Dallas Stars
10 of 30
The player: Ryan Garbutt
The criticism: His production is no longer outweighing the dumb plays he makes. Suspended twice this season, Garbutt has gone from a potential 20-goal scorer with an edge to a healthy scratch down the stretch. He also makes $1.8 million per season. That's a lot of dough to pay a guy who might hit 10 goals and 30 points on the year.
Detroit Red Wings
11 of 30
The player: Stephen Weiss
The criticism: Weiss is a bit of an injury magnet. And that's a bit of an understatement. He has played a total of 85 games in three seasons. And now that the 31-year-old is healthy again, he finds himself sitting out games anyway as a coach's decision. It might be because he has 27 points in those last 85 contests.
Edmonton Oilers
12 of 30
The player: Justin Schultz
The criticism: Schultz has never become that top defenseman the young Oilers so desperately need. He does play in Edmonton and doesn't have much in the way of support, but he's proved to be a big defensive liability—to the tune of a minus-55 total over 195 career games—while also failing to crack the 35-point barrier so far. He's been better recently and is playing more minutes, so maybe he's just a late-bloomer.
Florida Panthers
13 of 30
The player: Dave Bolland
The criticism: He's overpaid and injury-prone and was only really prosperous as part of a deep team in Chicago. When you score a Stanley Cup-winning goal in overtime before essentially losing all effectiveness as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers—the latter while collecting a sack full of cash as a huge free-agent signing—you're bound to have some critics. It doesn't help that he is nicknamed "The Rat" for his style of play.
Los Angeles Kings
14 of 30
The player: Mike Richards
The criticism: He's washed up. Injuries have led to his return to the Kings lineup, but his numbers have been in steady decline over the past few years. In fact, after signing a 12-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, he managed just two seasons with 20 or more goals before the drop began.
Minnesota Wild
15 of 30
The player: Thomas Vanek
The criticism: Vanek has a reputation for being lazy. Loaded with talent, he scores 20 goals every season. The thought—and the dig—is that if he dug in a little more, he could be even more effective. His tendencies lead to witty but stinging mock articles like this one.
Montreal Canadiens
16 of 30
The player: P.K. Subban
The criticism: He's cocky. Personally, I think anyone who can spit out more than cliches in an interview is golden and great for the game, but his brash nature and flashy style rub some traditionalists the wrong way. His presence transcends the game in such a way that he was featured in Macleans online in the society pages. He's also earning a bit of a reputation for diving.
Nashville Predators
17 of 30
The player: James Neal
The criticism: Neal has been suspended for dirty hits three times in his career and not the kind that just seem to happen. He tends to go out of his way to make a point. He has earned a rep for embellishment as well and has made a post-career impression—and not a good one—on former NHL ref Paul Stewart, who wrote a scathing blog called James Neal: The Poster Child for What's Wrong with NHL Discipline System.
New Jersey Devils
18 of 30
The player: Adam Larsson
The criticism: The 22-year-old is taking a long time to develop, at least by the impatient standards of the NHL and (some) of its fans. Larsson was the fourth overall pick of the 2011 NHL draft and has been in the league for parts of four seasons but is only now beginning to blossom. He's earned 21 points in 55 games this season and may finally be living up to the lofty expectations.
New York Islanders
19 of 30
The player: Kyle Okposo
The criticism: The winger is considered by some to be a tremendous rider of coattails. John Tavares and anyone Okposo plays with—like, for example, Anders Lee and Josh Bailey during Okposo's recent absence—typically thrive. Okposo has been the prime beneficiary in recent years. But since his return from a detached retina, he has one goal and one assist and is a minus-eight in seven games. Tweets suggesting he be moved off the top line are common now.
New York Rangers
20 of 30
The player: Martin St. Louis
The criticism: There's no doubt St. Louis has done great things in his career. There is doubt that he's worth bringing back to the Rangers lineup next season as an unrestricted free agent, though. The knock here is that he's lost a step and his numbers this season have dropped just enough for the Rangers to look at the promotion of an internal candidate like J.T. Miller—who has filled in well on the second line with St. Louis nursing a knee injury recently.
Ottawa Senators
21 of 30
The player: Alex Chiasson
The criticism: The Sens got a lemon. The 24-year-old was the centerpiece as far as a player return in the trade of Jason Spezza to the Dallas Stars. He was also a fairly highly touted prospect who was coming off a rookie season that saw him put together 13 goals and 35 points in 79 games two years ago. Things haven't worked out very well. His role is not what the Senators had hoped.
Philadelphia Flyers
22 of 30
The player: Vincent Lecavalier
The criticism: Isn't he retired yet? The 34-year-old has become so irrelevant that he's playing—whenever he's deemed suitable enough to get into the actual lineup—with Chris VandeVelde and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare on the fourth line. Instead of having his agent bash the coach in Philly, Lecavalier should probably just admit his career is over.
Pittsburgh Penguins
23 of 30
The player: Sidney Crosby
The criticism: He's overrated. Those aren't my words. I'm a noted advocate of Crosby holding the title of best active player in the world. However, he is one of those guys who can't please everyone. For example, he could be, say, leading the NHL in scoring, and the point total still wouldn't be enough for some critics.
San Jose Sharks
24 of 30
The player: Patrick Marleau
The criticism: Because of his even-keeled nature and taking the stripping of the C off his chest in stride (long before the same thing happened to Joe Thornton), Marleau is often labeled as indifferent. Even while Sharks general manger Doug Wilson suggested otherwise, talking about how much Marleau cares, Wilson managed to take a shot at his terrible plus/minus rating this season. Speaking of shots, Marleau would love to have this failed attempt back.
St. Louis Blues
25 of 30
The player: Jake Allen
The criticism: The young goaltender-in-waiting has wilted with a chance to shine following the trade of Jaroslav Halak. Making this critique stick was the addition of Martin Brodeur midseason, as well as Allen's poor save percentage and inability to displace veteran Brian Elliott.
The 24-year-old Allen is a restricted free agent this summer, and as absurd as it sounds, there are some who think the relationship won't last. That's crazy talk, no doubt, but goalies are all lightning rods to some degree.
Tampa Bay Lightning
26 of 30
The player: Jonathan Drouin
The criticism: He's no super rookie. Drouin, when drafted third overall last year, was expected to join sniper Steven Stamkos in a match made in heaven. Except it hasn't happened that way, and Drouin is averaging just a little more than 13 minutes per night. Countless fantasy league GMs have dropped him.
Toronto Maple Leafs
27 of 30
The player: Dion Phaneuf
The criticism: He's the league's worst captain. Hey, some teams don't even have a captain (looking at you, Sharks), but having a bad one can be worse. Part of the reason the Maple Leafs are looking to trade nearly everyone on the current roster is because of the locker-room attitude. That starts with Phaneuf and forward Phil Kessel.
Vancouver Canucks
28 of 30
The player: Zack Kassian
The criticism: Kassian is a dirty player. This reputation began well before the NHL, when the then-Sabres prospect was suspended indefinitely by the Ontario Hockey League for his nasty hit on Matt Kennedy of the Barrie Colts. He was also suspended for two games during the 2013 world junior tournament for a head shot and then in the NHL for a high stick on Sam Gagne and again last year for a hit on Dallas Stars defenseman Brenden Dillon.
Washington Capitals
29 of 30
The player: Alex Ovechkin
The criticism: In similar fashion to Sidney Crosby, Ovechkin takes heat in some circles for not being Sidney Crosby or for not playing in all areas of the ice—something that he seems to be doing much better this year. In short, it seems nearly impossible to be a Crosby and Ovechkin fan at the same time. His over-the-top enthusiasm and goal celebrations also draw the ire of some.
Winnipeg Jets
30 of 30
The player: Dustin Byfuglien
The criticism: Ever since the story surfaced that the big defenseman threw former teammate Evander Kane's tracksuit in the shower, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, which eventually led to the winger's trade out of Winnipeg, some people consider Byfuglien a bully and bad teammate. Maybe he's just a passionate fashion fan.
All statistics via NHL.com.
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