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Underappreciated NHL Players
I wanted to look at a few players who are having a great 21-22 season and not getting the recognition they deserve. These players are not the best players on their respective teams, but they contribute to their team and do not get the recognition other players receive. Whether they get overshadowed by other players on the team or the team isn’t having a great season, these players are producing and flying under the radar.
Michael Bunting is the first player flying under the radar. The 26-year-old left-winger is playing alongside two of the best players in the league, Marner, and Matthews. Naturally, playing with two players with the talent they possess will help you be better, but Bunting is holding his own. He gets the puck in the corners and is constantly causing mayhem in front of the net. This season for Toronto he is averaging .77 points per game (PPG%).
Defensemen Devon Toews is an underappreciated player on one of the best teams in the league, the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche have the Central locked down and are known for their blistering attack led by Nathan MacKinnon. Toews does not get talked about as much as others because of his defensive partner, Cale Makar. Makar is having an amazing season and is only 23 years old. Toews holds his own and is more of the anchor of the defensive pairing. Because of his presence at the blue line, it allows Makar to go deeper into the zone and pinch down on loose pucks on the boards. Toews has still managed .93 points per game. He is a big reason for the Avalanche’s success and why they are one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
Florida Panthers 26-year-old left winger, Anthony Duclair gets overshadowed by his teammates Aleksander Barkov, and Jonathon Huberdeau, who are both having sensational seasons and Huberdeau is battling for the NHL point lead. Duclair has a wicked wrist shot and knows how and when to use it. He is a great complimentary piece to Barkov’s and Huberdeau’s playmaking. Duclair carries a .88 PPG and boasts an impressive 21.7% shot percentage.
23-year-old Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes is a young stud that gets minimal recognition. On a Coyotes team that ranks just about last in every major team stat, Keller is managing to have a very good season. Keller has a PPG% of .87 this season. He is one of the best young players in the league and does not get the recognition and praise he deserves because he plays on a struggling Coyotes team. He is only 23 years old and the 21-22 season will be his 5th complete season. The Coyotes have a great young talent to build around and he should be the main player they build around.
The only goalie on the list is Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames. The Flames have been hot this year, no pun intended, and it starts with the netminder. He has been a brick wall at the back all season long. The Flames currently have the best goals-against average (GAA) of any team with a 2.29, Markstrom is sporting a GAA of 2.13 and a save percentage of .925 this season, elite numbers. He also has a demanding lead on shutouts so far with 8 in the 21-22 season. He is currently 4th in the Vezina winning odds according to Fanduel sportsbook.
Pavel Buchnevich of the St. Louis Blues has been a key player in the Blues push for the playoffs. With the Avalanche likely to win the Central division, the Blues, Wild, and the Predators are all in a tight battle to win that #2 seed in the Central. The Blues are a very talented team offensively and Buchnevich is at the forefront of that attack. He is averaging 1 point per game this season.
Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi is having a very good year. A lot of the buzz around Detroit is about the two rookies Mo Seider and Lucas Raymond. The rebuild is on in Detroit but Bertuzzi has been a Red Wing his whole career and is a presence they should look to keep around. He is a gritty forward who also knows how to set up and score goals. Bertuzzi sports an impressive .98 PPG on an average Red Wings team.
Age has yet to catch up to Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski. The 37-year-old is quietly having a very efficient season. Pavelski is averaging more than a point a game this season, 1.06. It has been a down year for the likes of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin and that could be why the Stars are right in the middle of the standings, currently on the outside looking into the playoff picture. He wins more than half his draws, and he also plays a pretty physical game as well. Joe was a great player all those years with the Sharks and he is continuing that level of play in Dallas.
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