Most underrated player by team- Western Conference

[yave1964]

<p>  A follow up to the most overrated by team from last week. Hope everyone enjoys, this is of course only my opinion, please feel free to jump in with your own thoughts!

Blue Jackets: Mark Letestu. Can play center or Wing, on any of the four lines, has scored even strength, power play and shorthanded this year. Not the most talented but will never be out worked.

Blackhawks: Nick Leddy. Gets lost in the shuffle on a deep talented club, has a wonderful first pass and is responsible in his own end.

Red Wings: Tomas Tatar. Plays Wing but is basicly taking the minutes that Darren Helm would have played, has given the Wings a viable third line. Does not get fancy, just rushes the net every play.

Predators: Barry Trotz. Every year two or three players leave as free agents and the Preds are written off and every year this amazing coach keeps them relevant.

Blues: Vladimir Sobotka. Another quirky favorite of mine, is as good a P/K forward as there is in the game, and shuts down the other teams top line like Bob Gainey. I am not insinuating he is a star, but he is a pesky undervalued player that every team would love to have.

Flames: Lee Stempniak. Nearly a point a game, plus four on a bad team. Hockeyreference.com lists similarity scores for every player, the top ten comps at this point in his career include Thomas Steen and Ron Duguay.

Avalanche: Semyon Varlamov. Lots of pressure with the Avalanche giving up a high first rounder for him, but this kid can flat out play. He is the primary reason they are in the game more often than not.

Oilers: Jeff Petry. The son of former Tiger pitcher Dan Petry is a big guy with some offensive ability who has been lost in the shuffle with the Justin Schultz phenomenon in Edmonton, but Petry is going to be a top 4 for a long time.

Wild: Josh Harding. Played for two months with a torn labrum in his hip before shutting it down and having hip surgery. Came back, first game back, Brad Boyes fell on his leg, tearing the MCL and ACL in his right knee, costing him a season. Came back and was a great backup last year. Now he is out being treated for Multiple Sclerosis. The man is an amazing example of the human will. I gotta root for him whenever he plays.

Canucks: Dan Hamhuis. Solid, dependable blue liner who seldom makes mistakes. Took heat for his contract but can flat out play.

Ducks: Andrew Cogliano. plus 10, solid second liner, not as good as he was supposed to be so the Oilers gave up on him, the Ducks are taking advantage of what he can do instead of whining about what he cannot.

Stars: Loui Ericksson. Everything I read about the Stars lists Benn as the main player on the team, but Loui is a thing of beauty on the ice to watch.

Kings: Slava Voynov. Solid blueliner his development allowed the Kings to trade Jack Johnson for Carter. Some in Los Angeles are saying that Voynov, not Doughty is truly their best d-man.

Coyotes: Dave Tippett. See Barry Trotz above, gets the most with the least of any coach in the NHL, and coaching in the dessert nobody notices.

Sharks: Antti Niemi: Won a cup with the Hawks. Takes the Sharks to the conference finals twice. Has a .934 save percentage on an aging team that is slipping and would be in big, big trouble without him. Never gets credit for much of anything but can flat out play.

For better or worse, there it is. The East will follow in a few days. Jump in with your comments or picks of your own!