The NHL’s Five Most Underappreciated Forwards

The stars of the NHL shine bright, but beneath that glow are several players, who, despite their talents, often go under the radar. Five forwards in particular have been the most underappreciated.

There’s always a cast of NHL players that are underappreciated for far too long.

Whether it’s because of the market they play in, more skilled teammates overshadowing them, or their game not being the sexiest, plenty of extremely efficient players get forgotten about. And in turn, not enough love is received.

In this first part of a three-part series, we’ll look at the NHL’s five most underappreciated forwards.

While he may not generate lots of buzz league-wide, opposing teams always have Robert Thomas’ name circled on their dressing room whiteboard.

Thomas — who recorded a career-high 86 points and made his first All-Star Game appearance last year — is one of the NHL’s most dynamic playmakers.

Since the 2021-2022 season, Thomas has completed the most 5-on-5 high-danger passes per 60 minutes (3.85) of any skater who played at least 600 minutes, according to allthreezones.com. Thomas also recorded the 10th-most 5-on-5 primary assists per 60 minutes (1.12) through that span.

His vision is just one component of his dynamic skillset, though.

“It’s so hard to get the puck off him,” Nashville Predators forward Ryan O’Reilly, a former teammate of Thomas’, told The Hockey News back in March. “He’s one of the best in the league at protecting the puck.”

The six-foot, 218-pound center is a matchup nightmare.

“He’s got so much skill and sees the ice well, but what’s underappreciated about him is that he’s very strong,” said Predators defenseman Roman Josi. “It’s hard to defend that combination.”

For years, Aleksander Barkov was the poster child for criminally underrated two-way centers.

But Barkov’s greatness is no longer a secret, and it’s time we turn our attention to a similar type of player, Joel Eriksson Ek, who, like Barkov, doesn’t get enough credit.

“He’s like Barkov but without as much offensive polish,” one NHL assistant coach told The Hockey News. “He’s brilliant defensively and a complete horse offensively.”

Eriksson Ek is coming off consecutive seasons of scoring 60-plus points. He was deployed heavily in all situations — be it at even strength, on the power play or penalty kill — and posted elite defensive results. The 6-foot-3 Swedish center possesses a rare combination of size, power, skill and intelligence. He doesn’t cheat the game — if he did, he could very well be a 70-point-plus player — and he’s a relentless forechecker.

Since the 2022-23 season, Eriksson Ek has been on the ice for just 2.24 expected goals against per 60 minutes, per naturalstattrick.com. That ranks him in the 93rd percentile of all forwards who played in at least 1,000 minutes. But for whatever reason, he didn’t crack the top five in Selke voting in either of the last two years, placing 10th and ninth, respectively. 

Players like Alex Tuch are hard to find.

And while Buffalo Sabres fans may be sour after watching Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel hoist the Stanley Cup with other teams in back-to-back years, Tuch — who was acquired in the Eichel deal — is a prototypical playoff-style player.

The 6-foot-4 right winger has quietly evolved into one of the NHL’s best power forwards. He’s elusive with the puck in tight spaces, he’s hard to play against defensively, and he’s just downright talented, too.

“He’s got finishing and playmaking ability, but his game is really driven by his size,” one NHL scout told The Hockey News. “He’s able to hold onto pucks and extend offensive zone possession time — on the wall and below the goal line — and get to the inside of the ice, where the game is won.”

Since the 2021-22 season, his first in Buffalo, Tuch has recorded 176 points in 199 games while also playing a pivotal role on both the power play and penalty kill. Through that same span, he’s recorded the ninth-most 5-on-5 takeaways per 60 minutes (3.07) among all forwards who played at least 1,000 minutes, according to naturalstattrick.com.

Nicolas Roy flies under the radar on a star-studded Vegas Golden Knights squad, although his impact is undeniable.

Roy is one of the NHL’s most effective third-line centers. He’s a relentless forechecker who’s capable of handling tough defensive matchups. Above all, he’s opportunistic on both sides of the puck.

“He’s just a smart player. He can kill plays, and his play off the puck is really good,” the scout said. “He’s also got some understated skill, and he’s got that ability to hang onto the puck. He doesn’t necessarily make plays that you’ll see on SportsCenter, but he can make the right plays at the right times.”

Roy can also move up and down the lineup. When Jack Eichel went down in the second half of last year, Roy filled in admirably in the top six, recording 19 points in 19 games.

Boy, do the Toronto Maple Leafs probably rue exposing Jared McCann in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft.

Back then, McCann was a 25-year-old defensively reliable bottom-six center who was coming off back-to-back 14-goal campaigns. The Leafs acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins so they could leave him unprotected in the expansion draft, allowing them to keep Alexander Kerfoot. 

McCann was a decent secondary scorer, although he never really got a chance — with either the Penguins, Florida Panthers or Vancouver Canucks — to play in the top six.

That all changed in Seattle.

Since joining the NHL’s newest franchise ahead of the 2021-22 season, only Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak, Filip Forsberg and Nathan MacKinnon have recorded more 5-on-5 goals per 60 minutes than McCann (1.33), according to naturalstattrick.com.

McCann scored a career-high 40 goals during the 2022-23 season while flirting with the 30-goal mark during the 2021-22 and 2023-24 seasons (scoring 27 and 29 goals, respectively). Oh, and he’s scored 50-plus points in each season with Seattle.