Underrated players debated by NHL.com writers

The stars have come out to shine in the 2021-22 NHL season, as expected. But they have been joined by a cast of underappreciated players to make this season one of the most memorable in recent memory.

Who exactly are the most underrated players in the NHL right now? We asked 10 NHL.com writers for their picks and got some interesting responses.
Here are the selections, in alphabetical order.
Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames
The 25-year-old defenseman has excelled with an increasing workload, a key development for the Flames especially after the Seattle Kraken selected captain Mark Giordano in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Andersson has proven versatile and resilient while leading Calgary with an average ice time of 22:39 per game, the highest of his NHL career. He's also scored an NHL career-high 46 points (four goals, 42 assists) and is plus-28 in 77 games. -- Tim Campbell, staff writer
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
The forward has scored an NHL career-high 43 goals this season, tied with Kirill Kaprizov for fifth in the NHL behind Auston Matthews (58), Leon Draisaitl (54), Chris Kreider (50) and Alex Ovechkin (48). It should be no surprise. Since the start of 2017-18, his first full season in the NHL, the 25-year-old is sixth in goals (172) behind Ovechkin (220), Matthews (217), Draisaitl (203), Connor McDavid (191) and David Pastrnak (179). -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist
Anthony Duclair, Florida Panthers
The forward has found a fit with the Panthers after struggling to gain momentum with five other teams in his first six NHL seasons (New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators). The 26-year-old has NHL career highs in goals (31), points (55), power-play goals (nine) and game-winning goals (five) in 68 games. He's been a mainstay on a line with center Aleksander Barkov and left wing Carter Verhaeghe because of his speed and ability with the puck. Duclair has scored an NHL career-high 22 even-strength goals and figures to be a key part of the lineup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

Darcy Kuemper, Colorado Avalanche
There were questions leading up to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline on March 21 about the Avalanche's goaltending and if they needed an upgrade from Kuemper to win the Stanley Cup. Even now when the Avalanche and the Stanley Cup come up in conversation, it's always a question of, "Yeah, but about their goaltending?" The 31-year-old should have silenced his critics by now. Among goalies who have played at least 30 games, he's tied for third in wins (36) with Igor Shesterkin, third in save percentage (.924), seventh in goals-against average (2.43) and tied for third in shutouts (five). Since Jan. 1, Kuemper is tied for second in wins (23), second in save percentage (.933) and third in GAA (2.23), and his five shutouts are fourth in the NHL. No more questions. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
Elias Lindholm, Calgary Flames
Who has scored the most goals for the Flames since 2018-19? The popular answers would be Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, the two faces of the franchise. Nope. No Flames player has scored more in that span than Lindholm (114), two more than Tkachuk and three ahead of Gaudreau. As the center on the top line, Lindholm has scored an NHL career-best 39 goals while helping Gaudreau (108 points; 38 goals, 70 assists,) and Tkachuk (99 points; 39 goals, 60 assists) each set NHL career highs in goals, assists and points. The 27-year-old has quietly proven to be the straw that stirs the drink for the Flames.-- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
Josh Norris, Ottawa Senators
The 22-year-old center has scored 33 goals in 61 games this season and should double his output (17) from last season. Yet few outside Canada's capital talk about him as one of the elite young goal scorers in the NHL. This season, Norris has more goals than Brad Marchand, Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Huberdeau. Not bad company to keep. Norris, who has 50 goals in 120 NHL games, is the fourth-leading goal-scorer from a deep 2017 NHL Draft, trailing Elias Pettersson (94), Nico Hischier (77) and Jason Robertson (53). Again, not a shabby neighborhood at all. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers
The first names that usually jump to mind when you're thinking about Florida's high-octane offense are Huberdeau and Barkov. Reinhart should be there, too. The 26-year-old forward has been a strong net-front presence, is third on the Panthers with 76 points (28 goals, 48 assists) behind Huberdeau (111) and Barkov (85), leads them with 13 power-play goals and is second with 28 power-play points behind Huberdeau (34). He's fit in just fine. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
Hard to argue that a team's leading goal-scorer is underrated, but Robertson is often overlooked in the national conversation about the rising stars in the NHL. The 22-year-old left wing has been a major force for the Stars in their chase for a playoff berth. He has scored 36 goals, is second with 70 points behind Joe Pavelski (75) and is their leader with 10 game-winning goals. The runner-up to Kirill Kaprizov for the Calder Trophy voted as the NHL rookie of the year last season, Robertson is poised to become the sixth player in Dallas/Minnesota North Stars history to score at least 37 goals at age 22 or younger. He would join Dino Ciccarelli (55 in 1981-82), Steve Payne (42 in 1979-80) Brian Bellows (41 in 1983-84), Neal Broten (38 in 1981-82) and Tyler Seguin (37 in 2013-14). -- William Douglas, staff writer

Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Slavin continues to get overlooked among the best defensemen in the NHL despite being a cornerstone piece of one of the best defensive teams in the NHL. Carolina is tied for first with the New York Rangers in allowing 2.44 goals per game and the 27-year-old has been an integral part of that while setting NHL career-highs with 40 points and 37 assists in 75 games. The Hurricanes are second in 5-on-5 shot attempts differential at plus-823. Slavin is first on Carolina and tied with Cale Makar of the Avalanche for seventh among defensemen with a plus-303 differential. He's first on the Hurricanes with an average of 23:28 in ice time per game and leads the NHL averaging 3:15 in shorthanded ice per game while playing on the top-ranked penalty kill (88.2 percent). -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues
On a team with scoring as evenly distributed as the Blues, who have seven players with at least 22 goals, it's a bit harder to stand out, especially if you're not one of those seven players. Thomas has even though he has not gotten enough credit. The 22-year-old has scored 74 points (19 goals, 55 assists), second on the Blues to Vladimir Tarasenko, (78 points; 33 goals, 45 assists), and his 18:47 of ice time per game is second among St. Louis forwards behind Ryan O'Reilly (19:10). Thomas is showing improvement defensively and on face-offs in his fourth full NHL season. The center is making a clear name for himself, which could become more noticeable with some success in the playoffs. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer