Most overrated by team, Western conference

[yave1964]

Finishing up on this subject i present my picks for the most overrated player by team, Western Conference this time.

 

COYOTES: Shane Doan.For years all I have heard is what a great leader he is as he plays for a team that seldom makes the postseason. He has made a 20 year career out of 20 goal, 50 point seasons and taking dumb penalties.

 

DUCKS: Chris Stewart. He had a couple of years in St. Louis where he looked to be the very definition of a power forward but has not done jack for the past 4 years.

 

FLAMES: Mikael Backlund. 26 years old, has now played 6 years and they are still talking about his potential. The man simply cannot play the role they want out of him.

 

BLACK HAWKS: Andrew Shaw is another one who never has come close to living up to his billing. He is too inconsistent to play top six, but they keep trying to plug him into Bollands old role out of need and he keeps failing. He has good postseasons often which makes announcers act as if he is better than he is.

 

AVALANCHE: Erik Johnson was the first pick in the draft in 2006 and has not come close to living up to his potential. To make matters much worse, the very average Johnson came to Colorado in a trade from the Blues in which the Avs gave up star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.

 

STARS: (TIE) Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen. Two underachieving goalies who look brilliant for a stretch and then cannot stop anything. Adventure time in Dallas net this year.

 

OILERS: Cam Talbot. Career minor league goalie with middling numbers at best, made the Rangers as a 26 year old rookie a few years ago when Marty Biron proved to be washed up. Put up great numbers with the Rangers the past two years with the leagues best defensive team, like Scrivens and Fast before him he will discover there is a huge difference between a defensive team and the Oilers. He will be okay but nothing more.

 

KINGS: Dustin Brown is absolutely washed up. His hard hitting style has left him a shell of his former self and he gets by at this point off reputation.

 

WILD:Mikael Granlund. Not a bad player, a middle six center with a crisp pass and good vision but is undersized and will never be a number one center which the Wild hope he will develop into. Oh, and he absolutely cannot shoot the puck. Great passer, best on the team but that is his only real skill.

 

PREDATORS: Neal put up good numbers when getting fed the puck by the likes of Crosby and Malkin, last year he slipped and slipped badly showing he is a decent player but not a star.

 

SHARKS: a tough one, nobody on the Sharks really overrated IMHO but I will go with Patrick Marleau who has slipped over the past few years but still gets by on reputation.

 

BLUES: Jake Allen. Pedestrian numbers in the AHL, is okay with a solid team in front of him in St. Louis but the Blues will never win with him in net.

 

CANUCKS: Ryan Miller. Out of all goalies who played significant time he was 32nd in goals against, he got caught up in a goalie controversy with the very average Eddie Lack and actually lost the job in the postseason. 35 years old, had his day buuut it has passed him by.

 

JETS: Blake Wheeler. Now here me out, like the rest of these guys he is not a bad player but the big guy plays a soft game and is not a guy to back check, most important for someone his size he sucks, absolutely SUCKS on the power play which is unforgivable. He managed only 2 goals on the power play, in his career his PPG have been 2,8,2,6, 0 (yes zero, in 81 games) 3 and 3. One of the softest big men in the game today. 

 

Again, most if not all of these guys are good players they just do not live up to the hype that surrounds them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[yave1964]

I do not agree with above poster saying St Louis will never win with Allen in net.  He is a good goalie. He is not Hasek but he can win with this loaded team.  I believe that St Louis along with Minnesota are on the short list to unseat Chicago. 

I love the Blues but Allen is nothing much.

[Unleashed Fury]

I really like Ryan Miller(even have him on my Fantasy Team as my 3rd Goalie), but you are spot on. He is past his prime. He was great at one point.

[ruxpin]

I love the Blues but Allen is nothing much.

"Allen is nothing much" is being too kind. He actually stinks. The Blues have a goalie problem. Whatever Allen might have been has been destroyed by grossly incompetent management. And Elliott is not a starting goaltender on a contender (he actually would have gotten my vote for most overrated).

I would have moved Allen over the summer, signed a goalie, and made Elliott the backup.

St Louis will not be unseating anyone. They are pretenders.

[yave1964]

"Allen is nothing much" is being too kind. He actually stinks. The Blues have a goalie problem. Whatever Allen might have been has been destroyed by grossly incompetent management. And Elliott is not a starting goaltender on a contender (he actually would have gotten my vote for most overrated).

I would have moved Allen over the summer, signed a goalie, and made Elliott the backup.

St Louis will not be unseating anyone. They are pretenders.

What sucks from a Blues perspective is talent wise they probably have the best team in club history right now, Taresenko, Backes, Shwartz, Lehtera, Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk are just an incredible lot of talent, the kid Jaskin is the real deal as well. The lack of a tender is not apparent during the regular season against the weak sisters but when they get into the postseason unless it is addressed they are toast. Miller failed a few years ago, Marty last year, I would not be surprised to see someone like Lehtonen brought aboard with equally cringe worthy results.

[ruxpin]

What sucks from a Blues perspective is talent wise they probably have the best team in club history right now, Taresenko, Backes, Shwartz, Lehtera, Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk are just an incredible lot of talent, the kid Jaskin is the real deal as well. The lack of a tender is not apparent during the regular season against the weak sisters but when they get into the postseason unless it is addressed they are toast. Miller failed a few years ago, Marty last year, I would not be surprised to see someone like Lehtonen brought aboard with equally cringe worthy results.

Agreed. But what I'm betting is that they try to fix the goaltending at the deadline. They will also exchange skaters with someone in the goalie deal and completely screw up whatever chemistry they might have. And fail. Heard this one before?

I don't care what their regular season record ends up being; they're done before they start.

I really wonder about Armstrong. He has them close, but it may take someone else to seal the deal.

Then again, it's the Blues. I truly believe it's a franchise thing.

EDIT: I do agree they probably have a good or better talent than they've ever had. It's a shame that it won't matter.

[ruxpin]

Miller could bounce back with a very good year in Vancouver. I do not think he has anyone on that team to challenge him now as the starter?

Right. The Canucks currently have no goalie at all. Maybe that's where St. Louis can unload Allen.

[Unleashed Fury]

Miller could bounce back with a very good year in Vancouver.  I do not think he has anyone on that team to challenge him now as the starter?

Jacob Markstrom is his main back up.

[Zz_]

Finishing up on this subject i present my picks for the most overrated player by team, Western Conference this time.

 

COYOTES: Shane Doan.For years all I have heard is what a great leader he is as he plays for a team that seldom makes the postseason. He has made a 20 year career out of 20 goal, 50 point seasons and taking dumb penalties.

 

DUCKS: Chris Stewart. He had a couple of years in St. Louis where he looked to be the very definition of a power forward but has not done jack for the past 4 years.

 

FLAMES: Mikael Backlund. 26 years old, has now played 6 years and they are still talking about his potential. The man simply cannot play the role they want out of him.

 

BLACK HAWKS: Andrew Shaw is another one who never has come close to living up to his billing. He is too inconsistent to play top six, but they keep trying to plug him into Bollands old role out of need and he keeps failing. He has good postseasons often which makes announcers act as if he is better than he is.

 

AVALANCHE: Erik Johnson was the first pick in the draft in 2006 and has not come close to living up to his potential. To make matters much worse, the very average Johnson came to Colorado in a trade from the Blues in which the Avs gave up star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.

 

STARS: (TIE) Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen. Two underachieving goalies who look brilliant for a stretch and then cannot stop anything. Adventure time in Dallas net this year.

 

OILERS: Cam Talbot. Career minor league goalie with middling numbers at best, made the Rangers as a 26 year old rookie a few years ago when Marty Biron proved to be washed up. Put up great numbers with the Rangers the past two years with the leagues best defensive team, like Scrivens and Fast before him he will discover there is a huge difference between a defensive team and the Oilers. He will be okay but nothing more.

 

KINGS: Dustin Brown is absolutely washed up. His hard hitting style has left him a shell of his former self and he gets by at this point off reputation.

 

WILD:Mikael Granlund. Not a bad player, a middle six center with a crisp pass and good vision but is undersized and will never be a number one center which the Wild hope he will develop into. Oh, and he absolutely cannot shoot the puck. Great passer, best on the team but that is his only real skill.

 

PREDATORS: Neal put up good numbers when getting fed the puck by the likes of Crosby and Malkin, last year he slipped and slipped badly showing he is a decent player but not a star.

 

SHARKS: a tough one, nobody on the Sharks really overrated IMHO but I will go with Patrick Marleau who has slipped over the past few years but still gets by on reputation.

 

BLUES: Jake Allen. Pedestrian numbers in the AHL, is okay with a solid team in front of him in St. Louis but the Blues will never win with him in net.

 

CANUCKS: Ryan Miller. Out of all goalies who played significant time he was 32nd in goals against, he got caught up in a goalie controversy with the very average Eddie Lack and actually lost the job in the postseason. 35 years old, had his day buuut it has passed him by.

 

JETS: Blake Wheeler. Now here me out, like the rest of these guys he is not a bad player but the big guy plays a soft game and is not a guy to back check, most important for someone his size he sucks, absolutely SUCKS on the power play which is unforgivable. He managed only 2 goals on the power play, in his career his PPG have been 2,8,2,6, 0 (yes zero, in 81 games) 3 and 3. One of the softest big men in the game today. 

 

Again, most if not all of these guys are good players they just do not live up to the hype that surrounds them.

 

For the Colorado Avalanche, I would have picked Matt Duchene... Personally and that is sad to say considering I JUST bought the new Avs third jersey with his Name and #..... lol

[Brandonn]

I would've gone with Logan Couture for the Sharks. I mean he has the talent to be a 80+ points per season guy. He hasn't played bad, but I honestly think he has so much more to give. He's only 26, so he still might have some more points left in him, but this is a guy who has the talent to put up 90 point seasons, but only puts up 60.

[J0e Th0rnton]

I would've gone with Logan Couture for the Sharks. I mean he has the talent to be a 80+ points per season guy. He hasn't played bad, but I honestly think he has so much more to give. He's only 26, so he still might have some more points left in him, but this is a guy who has the talent to put up 90 point seasons, but only puts up 60.

Really? The one thing holding Logan back is his skating. He is just one of the slowest players on the sharks.

 

But overall he was never expected to be a superstar scoring threat. He was billed as a guy with a commitment to the two way game that would make Yzerman proud despite his skating woes. 80+ points is now top 5 in the league in scoring and I never see him getting there. Quite frankly, he has topped what I expected of him

 

He has tremendous IQ to see threats and plays a good two way game

[Brandonn]

Really? The one thing holding Logan back is his skating. He is just one of the slowest players on the sharks.

 

But overall he was never expected to be a superstar scoring threat. He was billed as a guy with a commitment to the two way game that would make Yzerman proud despite his skating woes. 80+ points is now top 5 in the league in scoring and I never see him getting there. Quite frankly, he has topped what I expected of him

 

He has tremendous IQ to see threats and plays a good two way game

I agree with what you've said, it's just I feel like he could still be better. I think he's definitely capable of a point per game. From what I've seen, he has some sick mitts and a pretty decent shot. His skating seems alright to me, but as you pointed out, it's his vision and sense that makes his game so good.

 

The reason, as you stated, I guess is his defensive aspect of the game as well. I think he definitely sacrifices some of his offensive game for defence, which I guess is why he's getting 50-60 points per year. I guess I'm not saying he's overrated, I'm just saying he could put up better offensive numbers than most people think.