Every NHL Team's Most Underrated Player Ahead of 2015-16 Season
Media and many fans focus on the impact players and All-Stars, but winning the Stanley Cup involves all 23 men on the roster and many minor league players during the year.
Every team has an underrated All-Star, and that player is a major part of their overall success. Usually playing a secondary role and robbed of power-play time, this player delivers production during the difficult parts of the game and never achieves big numbers because of it.
Here's a team-by-team look at the valuable but underrated players in the NHL for 2015-16.
Note: All analytics and advanced stats numbers come via behindthenet.ca and HockeyAnalysis.com unless otherwise stated.
Anaheim Ducks: Jakob Silfverberg
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How Much Will He Make? Jakob Silfverberg's new contract pays him $3.75 million this season and that is also his cap hit.
What Does He Provide? Silfverberg provides steady play against tough opponents and delivers enough scoring to be considered an integral part of the team's offense.
Why Is He Underrated? The appeal of Silfverberg is that he posts his scoring numbers while playing away from Anaheim's top forwards Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks are able to ice more than one offensive line and make their top line more difficult to defend. The big raise earned by Silfverberg will be well spent if he equals last year's production.
Arizona Coyotes: Martin Hanzal
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How Much Will He Make? Martin Hanzal's cap hit is $3.1 million in 2015-16, making him a value contract on the Arizona Coyotes—if he remains healthy.
What Does He Provide? He possesses a range of skills, including an ability to post offense while playing a responsible two-way game. His physical style also sets the tone for his line and often causes opponents to play on their heels.
Why Is He Underrated? Hanzal played only 37 games due to injury last season, and for some fans his impact may be a fading memory. He's also underrated in terms of salary as Hanzal's actual value is far higher than sticker price. Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona reported in mid-August that Hanzal is on track for training camp.
Boston Bruins: Matt Irwin
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How Much Will He Make? Matt Irwin's contract with the Boston Bruins will pay him $800,000. It may end up being the best value deal in the NHL this year.
What Does He Provide? Irwin is a good possession player and plays a steady, reliable game. He was especially effective when playing with Brent Burns one year ago.
Why Is He Underrated? Irwin's contract is below $1 million, making it a value contract if he takes a regular shift. He should be able to do more than that, helping a suddenly weakened Boston defensive crew in a depth role. If he can find chemistry with one of Boston's top defensemen, Irwin may spend some time in the top four this season.
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Buffalo Sabres: Marcus Foligno
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How Much Will He Make? Marcus Foligno's contract with the Buffalo Sabres will pay him $2.25 million, and his cap hit is a mere $1.875 million for the coming season.
What Does He Provide? Foligno is an attractive combination of size and speed, with enough skill to play with the top-end forwards. His 20 points in 2014-15 represents a career high, but an improved set of linemates may mean he spikes this year.
Why Is He Underrated? His offense at even strength was just middling, but he was one of several wingers who seemed to be in a constant state of motion. If Buffalo can find him a center, Foligno has the skills to head to the net and make a difference.
Calgary Flames: Kris Russell
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How Much Will He Make? Kris Russell of the Calgary Flames will earn $2.6 million in the 2015-16 season.
What Does He Provide? Russell is a solid two-way defender who gets the most out of his ability. A good puck-mover, he'll also sell out defensively in order to make a play. He can play up and down the lineup and is durable.
Why Is He Underrated? Russell's ability to block shots is record breaking, as Scott Lewis of Sportsnet reported at the end of the 2014-15 season. His underrated status comes in the multiple roles he is able to fill.
Carolina Hurricanes: Justin Faulk
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How Much Will He Make? Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes has a cap hit of $4.833 million for the 2015-16 season.
What Does He Provide? He's a quality puck-moving defender with increasing defensive acumen. His possession numbers are solid despite facing tough competition. He's also effective with any partner sent his way, something the Hurricanes have tested in recent years.
Why Is He Underrated? Faulk is Carolina's best defenseman and one of its best players. He's underrated because he's also one of the best young defenders in the game but has not yet been recognized as being in that range. He finished No. 22 in voting for the Norris Trophy in 2014-15 but is a far better player than the ranking implies.
Chicago Blackhawks: Marcus Kruger
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How Much Will He Make? Marcus Kruger is currently an unsigned restricted free agent for the Chicago Blackhawks.
What Does He Provide? Kruger is a very important player for the Hawks, as he takes an enormous percentage of his team's defensive zone starts. His possession numbers are fantastic considering the difficulty of his work.
Why Is He Underrated? Coach Joel Quenneville uses Kruger and his linemates in a very specific and important role. It allows Chicago to place its best offensive players in the other team's zone whenever possible. It's an important role, and Kruger is outstanding at it.
Colorado Avalanche: John Mitchell
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How Much Will He Make? John Mitchell will earn $1.8 million with the Colorado Avalanche this season.
What Does He Provide? Mitchell gives the Avalanche a veteran who can plug-and-play in multiple roles. He's a solid checker and two-way man who can also step up and help on a skill line.
Why Is He Underrated? The Avalanche had five forwards score 55 or more points last season, but very few points came from the bottom-six forwards. Mitchell's offensive contributions with men like Maxime Talbot gave Colorado some much-needed secondary scoring.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Matt Calvert
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How Much Will He Make? Matt Calvert will earn $1.5 million this season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. His cap hit is $2.2 million annually.
What Does He Provide? Calvert gives the Blue Jackets solid even-strength offense despite facing the toughest zone starts among regular forwards. What's more impressive, much of that offense comes during times when he's playing with less than feature players.
Why Is He Underrated? Columbus employed Nick Foligno and Scott Hartnell on left wing last season, meaning Calvert got squeezed for playing time. He made the most of it and provided the Blue Jackets with solid depth offense.
Dallas Stars: Cody Eakin
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How Much Will He Make? Cody Eakin will earn $2.3 million this season with the Dallas Stars.
What Does He Provide? Eakin is a deceptive player in that his offense—an impressive 40 points in 2014-15—comes while getting tough zone starts and without top-flight offensive linemates.
Why Is He Underrated? Many fans would have a hard time picking Eakin out in a crowd or discussing what he brings. Dallas Stars fans know his value—he's a terrific two-way player and a tough opponent every shift.
Detroit Red Wings: Danny DeKeyser
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How Much Will He Make? Danny DeKeyser of the Detroit Red Wings will earn $2.188 million during the 2015-16 season.
What Does He Provide? DeKeyser provides steady two-way play and some offensive ability during 21 quality minutes a night. For his player-type, not getting noticed is often the best compliment bestowed and DeKeyser has many such nights during a season.
Why Is He Underrated? The key comes from consistency for DeKeyser. He is a strong possession player and with defense partner Kyle Quincey there's a calm sense around the youngster. If you watch him play an NHL game, it's difficult to believe he's just 156 games into his career.
Edmonton Oilers: Matt Hendricks
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How Much Will He Make? Matt Hendricks is in the middle of a contract that will pay him $1.85 million for playing with the Edmonton Oilers this season.
What Does He Provide? Hendricks is a gritty winger who provides the Oilers with a veteran checker and a rugged edge. His contributions include providing some offense while facing severe zone starts and providing leadership on a young, struggling team.
Why Is He Underrated? He's not an offensive dynamo and does a lot of the difficult tasks that don't involve scoring goals. Penalty-killing, checking tougher opponents at times and mentoring the young wingers on the team don't draw headlines but are important aspects of the game.
Florida Panthers: Willie Mitchell
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How Much Will He Make? Willie Mitchell of the Florida Panthers will earn $4.25 million during the 2015-16 season.
What Does He Provide? Mitchell does the heavy lifting and provides cover for a young and emerging defense. He faces difficult zone starts and opposition and remains a 50 percent possession player.
Why Is He Underrated? Along with partner Dmitry Kulikov, Mitchell takes on the toughest minutes while veteran Brian Campbell mentors Aaron Ekblad with easier opponents and more offensive opportunities. It's a very difficult chore, and Mitchell does it extremely well.
Los Angeles Kings: Jake Muzzin
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How Much Will He Make? Jake Muzzin of the Los Angeles Kings is a $4 million cap hit and will be paid $3 million for the 2015-16 season.
What Does He Provide? Muzzin forms a strong defensive tandem with Drew Doughty and gives the Kings an offensive pairing who are also more than capable defensively.
Why Is He Underrated? He's an emerging name among NHL fans and a lot of the credit for this pairing's success has been given to Doughty. That's certainly true but as the duo has more success, Jake Muzzin will emerge as a more prominent player for fans outside Los Angeles.
Minnesota Wild: Marco Scandella
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How Much Will He Make? Marco Scandella has a cap hit of $4 million and will earn $3 million this season as a member of the Minnesota Wild.
What Does He Provide? He is blossoming into a productive player for the Wild. Despite difficult zone starts, his possession numbers are well over 50 percent at even strength. That's a rare and effective combination.
Why Is He Underrated? Much of the credit for his success has been credited to Jared Spurgeon, with some merit. They are effective together, but Scandella faced tougher zone starts and succeeded with all partners this past season. If he can deliver consistently, he'll be very rich and famous in short order.
Montreal Canadiens: Nathan Beaulieu
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How Much Will He Make? Nathan Beaulieu will earn $1 million this season as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
What Does He Provide? Beaulieu provides quality play for the Canadiens in a support role. He's an emerging talent whose possession numbers are good enough to suggest we're dealing with a solid player who could blossom in the future.
Why Is He Underrated? Montreal keeps pairing him with aging players long past their prime. Beaulieu's possession numbers spike if the Canadiens keep him away from Sergei Gonchar and Tom Gilbert, suggesting he's ready to emerge as a full-blown defenseman without need for mentoring. At 22, he has plenty of time, but it would help if Montreal paired him with someone in their prime.
Nashville Predators: Roman Josi
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How Much Will He Make? Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators will earn $4 million for the 2015-16 season.
What Does He Provide? Josi gets the toughest zone starts on Nashville, and his possession numbers are very good. Considering the circumstances, the even-strength offensive output is astonishing.
Why Is He Underrated? Shea Weber gets a great deal of credit for the pairing's success, and he's certainly a quality player. However, Josi's contributions are substantial and more credit is due to this player. It will come if he continues to arc offensively.
New Jersey Devils: Damon Severson
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How Much Will He Make? Damon Severson will earn $575,000 this season from the New Jersey Devils. His cap hit is $888,000 for 2015-16.
What Does He Provide? Severson faced tough zone starts a year ago and more substantial quality of competition than the typical defenseman would face in a rookie year. Despite the situational stress, his possession numbers led the team.
Why Is He Underrated? New Jersey fans know about him, but it will take the rest of the league some time to catch up. He's 21 and this is a building team, but if this level of performance can be maintained, Severson will be famous.
New York Islanders: Ryan Strome
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How Much Will He Make? Ryan Strome will make $833,000 playing for the New York Islanders this season. His cap hit is $1,713,000, so there's potential for $750,000 in bonus dollars.
What Does He Provide? Strome is an emerging offensive forward who led the team in five-by-five scoring in 2014-15. In fact, his points-per-60 at even strength ranked among the top 15 across the NHL last year.
Why Is He Underrated? He's a young player who is establishing himself and playing on a team that doesn't get a lot of national attention. That's going to change and when it does, Ryan Strome is going to be a very famous name.
New York Rangers: Kevin Hayes
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How Much Will He Make? Kevin Hayes' cap hit this season is $3.75 million, including bonuses. Chances are the New York Rangers forward will cash most or all of those bonus opportunities.
What Does He Provide? Hayes appears to be a substantial offensive weapon, as his points-per-60 minute total at even strength ranked him No. 2 on the Rangers last season.
Why Is He Underrated? Hayes was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks but chose to sign with the Rangers. Fans were thrilled at the raid but unsure of the quality. If Hayes can deliver this kind of performance again in 2015-16, he'll be a star on Broadway before New Year's Eve.
Ottawa Senators: Mike Hoffman
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How Much Will He Make? Mike Hoffman of the Ottawa Senators will earn $2 million this season playing wing on a scoring line.
What Does He Provide? Hoffman provided Ottawa with substantial offense, including an impressive 2.50 points-per-game at even strength last year. His 22 five-by-five goals ranked him in a tie for No. 5 overall in the entire league.
Why Is He Underrated? Hoffman was robbed in arbitration—NHL.com had the story—and will be badly underpaid if he has another season like 2014-15. The Senators are no doubt pleased with the result of arbitration but these things usually even out in the end—his agent is sure to be very aggressive in future negotiations.
Philaelphia Flyers: Steve Mason
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How Much Will He Make? Steve Mason will be paid $4.1 million for tending goal this season for the Philadelphia Flyers.
What Does He Provide? Mason gives the Flyers a quality goalie who they can count on. His .928 save percentage last season was top flight, and he once again played in more than 50 games.
Why Is He Underrated? The Flyers net has been hockey's Bermuda Triangle for many years and recent history featured multiple epic failures. Mason's time in Philadelphia features calm waters and good goaltending, but many fans remain convinced the goalie is still a problem.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Eric Fehr
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How Much Will He Make? Eric Fehr's contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins will pay him $2 million this season.
What Does He Provide? Fehr is a really handy player. He takes the tough zone starts, can play up and down the lineup, has good possession numbers and scores pretty well at even strength.
Why Is He Underrated? Fehr does his work with men like Brooks Laich and Joel Ward and he's effective. In Washington, he played in the shadow of Alex Ovechkin and in Pittsburgh he'll get even less attention—but the discerning fan will recognize his valuable work on the depth lines.
San Jose Sharks: Brenden Dillon
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How Much Will He Make? Brenden Dillon of the San Jose Sharks will earn $2.4 million in 2015-16. His cap hit will be $3.27 million.
What Does He Provide? Dillon is an effective positional defender. He faces tougher zone starts, but his possession numbers are quality. What's more is that he can be effective with different partners and playing a range of opposition.
Why Is He Underrated? He isn't flashy and doesn't post a lot of offense for the Sharks. He does play a reliable game and blocks shots, hits and makes the simple play with refreshing consistency. It may not look exceptional from the stands but coaches love this player type.
St. Louis Blues: David Backes
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How Much Will He Make? David Backes will earn $4.5 million as a member of the St. Louis Blues this season.
What Does He Provide? Backes is the full deal—he faces tough opposition, tough zone starts but delivers quality possession and offensive numbers. This is a very rare item, and there are lots of teams who don't have this player on their roster.
Why Is He Underrated? The Blues are an annual disappointment in the playoffs and over time that reflects on the leadership of the team. Backes is a splendid player, but the problem in St. Louis comes from lack of playoff success. If the disappointment continues, he may pay for it with a trade to another city, which is astonishing considering the talent. At this time, David Backes is underrated in St. Louis because of it.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Braydon Coburn
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How Much Will He Make? Braydon Coburn of the Tampa Bay Lightning will make $4.5 million dollars in the 2015-16 NHL season.
What Does He Provide? Coburn and his partner Matt Carle face tough opponents, difficult zone starts and still win the possession game.
Why Is He Underrated? This is a respected veteran defender, but the Lightning are now an All-Star cast on defense. Fans and media are focused on the substantial talents of Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman and Carle. All Coburn does is play quality defense every night.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Nazem Kadri
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How Much Will He Make? Nazem Kadri will earn $4.1 million this season while playing a major role with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
What Does He Provide? Kadri is emerging as one of the more effective young forwards in the game. His possession numbers are excellent for a player on a team that struggles badly in that area, and he doesn't get a zone start push on the Leafs. In spite of the obstacles, he's also one of the Leafs' most effective offensive players.
Why Is He Underrated? There are all kinds of possibilities for his being underrated, but the most likely cause is that the quality of his team has been poor. Kadri is a fine young player with an exceptional future ahead of him, and Toronto would be wise to lock him up soon.
Vancouver Canucks: Chris Tanev
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How Much Will He Make? Chris Tanev will make $3.5 million this season—the cap hit is $4.45 million—while playing for the Vancouver Canucks in 2015-16.
What Does He Provide? Tanev isn't flashy but is an effective shutdown defenseman. He gets tough zone starts, tough opposition and yet still leads the Vancouver defense in possession. That's an effective player.
Why Is He Underrated? He has no draft pedigree, having taken an unusual route to the NHL. The performance by Tanev for Vancouver merits far more notoriety than he currently enjoys, and that will change over time.
Washington Capitals: Justin Williams
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How Much Will He Make? Justin Williams will earn $3.25 million this season as a member of the Washington Capitals.
What Does He Provide? Williams is a quality veteran winger with an outstanding playoff resume. His career reads like a dream, and his three Stanley Cup rings certainly get him noticed.
Why Is He Underrated? The contract he signed this summer with Washington tells us he's now an underrated player—there's no way he would be paid like this in his prime. Williams will turn 34 in early October, and there's every chance NHL teams believe his skills are eroding. Recent evidence suggests Washington hit a home run in free agency.
Winnipeg Jets: Mark Scheifele
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How Much Will He Make? Mark Scheifele will make $833,000 this season, with a chance to achieve bonuses that could stretch his salary to $1.563 million.
What Does He Provide? Scheifele is an emerging talent who possesses a range of skills. His offense at even strength and possession numbers are solid and improving as he matures. At 22, he is on the verge of blossoming into a top-flight NHL forward.
Why Is He Underrated? Winnipeg is a small NHL market and coverage of the Jets nationally is sporadic. Scheifele plays on a team with more established and famous names, and he's playing a support role during the formative years of his NHL career. That could change as early as this season.
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