NHL players give picks for most underrated in League

For the most part, NHL players have trouble identifying which of their compatriots are underrated.

“There’s so many good players,” Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes said at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour in Henderson, Nevada, last month. “If you answer the guy’s underrated, then is he underrated?”

Nobody was quite as philosophical as Hughes when asked for the heir apparent to this throne, which had been occupied for so long by Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov, who appeared destined to hold the title for life before helping to lead his team to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in the past two seasons.

But there was little consensus among the players on hand.

Barkov, who will miss the 2025-26 NHL regular season after sustaining a knee injury in training camp last week, still got one vote after all the accolades he has collected in the past few seasons and almost had another before a last-second change of heart by one player.

In fact, 24 different players were nominated by the 27 who offered an opinion at the media tour.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho led the way with three votes. Barkov’s teammate, defenseman Gustav Forsling, earned two votes. Twenty-two other players entered the fray as well.

Maybe the underrated mantle will always be worn by a talented but quiet player from Finland, which is from where Barkov hails as well.

“Aho’s not new to the scene but I think people are really starting to realize who he is and how good he is,” Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner said. “He’s been good for a long time but, maybe being in that market, maybe he’s not as well-known as he should be.”

The 28-year-old is entering his 10th season with the Hurricanes and is slowly evolving into the face of the franchise. He had 74 points (29 goals, 45 assists) in 79 regular-season games last season and has 631 points (283 goals, 348 assists) in 677 career NHL regular-season games. In 89 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Aho has 85 points (34 goals, 51 assists) and has made three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals.

With Barkov injured, Aho might now be the most important forward for Finland at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in February.

Forsling is certainly the most important defenseman for the Panthers in their back-to-back championships. Yet, he still does not always get the credit he deserves.

“Gustav Forsling has gotten a lot of credit and recognition over the last couple of years, but I still don't think people fully understand what he's capable of,” said Panthers forward Sam Reinhart. “To be able to share the ice with him, he masks so many problems that come up in a game. I still don't think people realize how good he is."

Don’t count Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark in that group. He didn’t hesitate to name Forsling, citing the work he has done against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past two seasons, particularly against forward Connor McDavid.

“He’s been part of a team that has won the Stanley Cup twice and there is still not a lot of talk about [him] being a top 50 player in the NHL after shutting down the best hockey player in the whole wide world and [he] always play against the very best,” Ullmark said. “Yes, I will say Forsling is very underrated."

Another Finnish player is on the fringes of the conversation, according to Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger.

“I would have to say (Stars defenseman) Miro Heiskanen,” Oettinger said. “I think if he was in New York or a Canadian market, he would be in the top three for the Norris every year. People don’t see what I get to see every night. I think if he was in a different market he would get talked about in the same sentence as guys like Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox and guys like that. So, I’m lucky to have him in front of me.”

Another Stars defenseman is also starting to get some love. Thomas Harley entered the spotlight when he was a late addition to Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Canada won the tournament and the 24-year-old averaged 20:07 of ice time in the two games he played.

“I think he always seems to make the right play, and he’s a good skater, and he’s got a good offensive touch,” New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal said. “He’s got a bit of everything. I think he’s a stud.”

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes also looked West for his answer, tabbing Logan Cooley of the Utah Mammoth.

The 21-year-old forward is entering his third season and Hughes says Cooley could open even more eyes than he did last season when he had 65 points (25 goals, 40 assists) in 75 regular-season games.

“I think Logan Cooley’s probably pretty underrated,” Hughes said. “Maybe not the most underrated, but a guy I like watching and I think is going to be a really good player. He’s probably going to get a lot of love in the next few years.”

Calgary Flames Matt Coronato will get a lot of love if his teammate, goalie Dustin Wolf, is correct.

The 22-year-old forward signed a seven-year contract earlier this year and is coming off a 47-point (24 goals, 23 assists) season in 77 regular-season games.

Wolf says that goal total will climb this season and the player will garner some attention around the League.

“He has a shot unlike many others in the League. As much as I see him in practice, he still fools me,” the goalie said. “Fresh off a new contract, I’m sure he is going to be ready to roll. I could see him in the 40 to 45-goal range.”