Who Are the NHL’s Best Bottom-Six Forwards?

An effective bottom-six forward often thrives at neutralizing the opposition with a two-way game. Jacob Stoller lists six NHL forwards who fit the bill the best last season.

While the line between a top-six and bottom-six NHL forward is somewhat blurred these days — as some teams divvy up ice time relatively evenly — the bottom-six ‘genre’ is still alive and well.

So, what exactly is a bottom-six forward? It’s a third- or fourth-line forward that coaches trust to provide excellent depth. They often contribute low-event hockey — meaning they don't often produce a ton of offense but also don’t give up a whole lot — and thrive at neutralizing other players.

In no particular order, here are six forwards who excel at that bottom-six type of hockey and aren't expected to climb into a top-six role next season.

2022-23 Stat Line: 82 GP, 12 goals, 23 assists, 36 points, 15:39 TOI/GP

Lowry has long been regarded as one of the NHL’s best third-line centers. The 6-foot-6 forward is a true defensive specialist with a knack for neutralizing opponents' top lines at even strength. He’s also a premier forechecker, registering the 14th-most forecheck pressures per 60 minutes (9.58) during 5-on-5 play last season, according to allthreezones.com. Lowry is coming off a career year offensively – and it came without any detriment to his defensive game — recording 36 points in 82 regular-season games, followed by five points in five playoff games.

2022-23 Stat Line: 82 GP, 16 goals, 19 assists, 35 points, 14:13 TOI/GP

Tanev is like a Tasmanian devil on skates. The six-foot winger is unrelenting when pursuing the puck, and his combination of speed and swift stick skills complement one another to make him one of the NHL’s best forecheckers. Tanev is also an asset in driving play up the ice, ranking 10th among forwards in zone exits (11.44) and zone entries (25.61) per 60 minutes during 5-on-5 play last season, according to All Three Zones. Remarkably, Tanev finished with the NHL's 23rd-most hits among forwards (190) while simultaneously posting strong underlying numbers.

2022-23 Stat Line: 82 GP, 10 goals, 22 assists, 32 points, 14:37 TOI/GP

Kerfoot received a lot of flack from Leafs fans last year due to him being so snakebit offensively, but there’s no denying his value as a bottom-six piece. He’s reliable, cerebral and able to play all three forward positions. Coaches adore low-maintenance guys like him that think the game well and can be plugged into a variety of different situations. There’s a reason Toronto made pre-emptive moves to ensure Kerfoot wouldn’t be selected by the Seattle Kraken during the expansion draft two years ago.

2022-23 Stat Line: 65 GP, 13 goals, 12 assists, 25 points, 13:21 TOI/GP

Dowd was arguably the NHL’s best fourth-line center last season. He’s a modern-day meat-and-potatoes 4C. He’s not a sexy player, but he’s extremely effective at driving low-event play – the type you want from your fourth line – and above all, limiting opponents’ chances. Over the last two seasons, Dowd clocks in at the 86th percentile for 5-on-5 scoring chances against per 60 minutes (25.66), per naturalstattrick.com. Last season, Dowd also led all forwards with 6.06 recovered dump-ins per 60 minutes during 5-on-5 play, per All Three Zones.

2022-23 Stat Line: 80 GP, 10 goals, 19 assists, 29 points, 14:44 TOI/GP

Fast has been one of the best defensive forwards in hockey over the last three seasons. In that span, only Patrice Bergeron and Gabriel Landeskog allowed fewer 5-on-5 scoring chances against per 60 minutes than Jesper Fast. No wonder he’s an elite penalty-killer. Last season, Fast registered the second-most 5-on-5 forecheck pressures per 60 minutes (13.74) of any forward, which All Three Zones describes as a forechecking player who "forces the player exiting the zone to make a play with the puck." Despite only recording 10 goals in 80 regular-season games last year, Fast led the Hurricanes in playoff goals with six.

2022-23 Stat Line: 81 GP, 17 goals, 17 assists, 34 points, 16:16 TOI/GP

At 35 years old, Jordan Staal centered Fast and Jordan Martinook for most of last season and has shown no signs of slowing down. On top of being a safe bet to win over 55 percent of faceoffs, Staal remains an elite defensive player who makes himself a huge asset off the cycle in the offensive zone. Of all forwards that played at least 1,000 minutes over the last three seasons, Staal ranks fifth in 5-on-5 scoring chances against per 60 minutes (21.68), according to Natural Stat Trick. Last season, Staal recorded the fourth-most recovered dump-ins per 60 minutes of any forward during 5-on-5 play (5.6), according to All Three Zones.

Honorable mentions: Ryan McLeod (EDM), Nick Paul (TB), Radek Faksa (DAL), Noel Acciari (PIT), Garnet Hathaway (PHI)