Who is The Leafs Most Underrated Player?

[The Winter Soldier]

Poll 3 of my summer polls.

Previous polls results thus far.

Leafs Most talent Player <24? Rielly leading and running away with it.
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1707577&highlight=

Leafs Smartest player? Kessel with a fair lead.
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1709567&highlight=

New poll:

Who is the Leafs most underrated player?

For this the only criteria was, I went with the 8 highest paid players to play last year, that are still Leafs.

1. Kessel
2. Phaneuf
3. Clarkson
4. Lupul
5. JVR
6. Bozak
7. Kadri
8. Bernier

Click to read more...

 

[Kelly]

Cody Franson

You'd think he's a pile of dog **** the way ppl talk about him around here.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Cody Franson

You'd think he's a pile of dog **** the way ppl talk about him around here.

That's the key to this poll, I voted Dion Phaneuf. You would think reading here, he was Komisarek 2.0 at 6.5 the past 4.5 years.

 

[TMLegend]

Tyler Bozak.

 

[Paradoc]

I voted Bernier for lolz, but in truth it's DEFINETLY Phaneuf with Lupul a close second.

 

[Future]

My pick isn't on there. My pick would be Gardiner since there are quite a few people who think he's a scrub that can't play defense and has very low hockey IQ. Meanwhile, he played huge minutes last year as a 23 year old, and was by far our best player in the last 20 games and leading scorer and leader in TOI in that time, while also being solid defensively and looking VERY smart. Common misconception is that Gardiner has a low hockey IQ. Gardiner being inconsistent is more accurate because when he is on he looks like the smartest player on the ice but it's the opposite when he is not. He still has top pairing potential easily.

If I had to pick from these, I would pick Bozak. He's not a number 1 centre, but he is a good player. Kessel and Phaneuf as honourable mentions.

 

[Prominence]

I voted lupul because while he was negligent on his defensive responsibilities, he put up 44 points in 69 games, which is really what he is supposed to produce since he is a 2nd line player whose cap hit is 5.25mil. If he can get 50 points next season and improve on his defensive responsibilities, that would be decent.

I understand why people would vote Kadri too, his production was pretty good, but I feel that he would need to reach 60 points to justify his playing style and opportunity cost (a two way center who nets 40-50 points).

 

[Kelly]

That's the key to this poll, I voted Dion Phaneuf. You would think reading here, he was Komisarek 2.0 at 6.5 the past 4.5 years.

Yea I can agree with that. Outta your list I voted for him.

 

[Leafidelity]

Every year people yell at Bozak to be something he's not. And every year he plays decent minutes and takes the most important draws. He's a good player.

 

[TMLife*]

Oops hit kadri instead of bozak hahah

 

[Purity*]

That's the key to this poll, I voted Dion Phaneuf. You would think reading here, he was Komisarek 2.0 at 6.5 the past 4.5 years.

Agreed.

There's actually posters here who think he shouldn't be on a top pairing and should only be paid 4M. He's been HFBoards most hated player for such a long time now.

 

[GalacticaActual]

Agreed.

There's actually posters here who think he shouldn't be on a top pairing and should only be paid 4M. He's been HFBoards most hated player for such a long time now.

Phaneuf is good on paper. Lupul good on paper. Kessel good on paper. Etc...

But something is wrong with the team. 3 years in a row of collapses. What's the fix?

 

[LeafalCrusader]

If he were still here I'd say Gunnarsson. Now I'd say Bozak.

 

[brettzz]

phaneuf

literally every trade proposal on the fa/trade board for him are absolute garbage

I think people see leafs fans ******** on phaneuf and they take that view of him

 

[Cor]

Bozak. Does a lot for the time and is good players, but people **** on the guy because he's not Jonathan Toews and somehow it is his fault we don't have a better option for 1C.

 

[HEAVY DUTY]

phaneuf. at least on hfboards anyways. the hate this guy gets is unreal. according to the main boards, phaneuf is nothing but #3 dman.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Phaneuf here too. But Franson is up there. I want him gone just like most, but a lot of people can't accept that he's got any positives at all which is just ridiculous. Given the right partner he can be a very good third pairing guy.

 

[ChickenMcNugget]

Phaneuf here too. But Franson is up there. I want him gone just like most, but a lot of people can't accept that he's got any positives at all which is just ridiculous. Given the right partner he can be a very good third pairing guy.

i know right he put up a solid pace before last season, ranking top 8 in the entire league. but people put too much weight on +/- with franson in particular to make him look bad.

 

[GalacticaActual]

Funny that Phaneuf is "underrated".

Right, the guy paid $7million per year to **** the bed every year with 18-wheeler collapses is "underrated".

The true answer is Kessel. He is remarkably underrated for what he brings to the table. He is our only truly elite asset. He has evolved into a consistent point-per-game player and he is a true game breaker. And he showed that he can eviscerate the Bruins in the playoffs (shame about our team culture folding like a cheap suit in game 7, wasting Kessel's efforts).

 

[Byron Bitz]

Phaneuf is probably the most underrated player in the league. People on this forum talk about him like hes a beer league calibre player who somehow tricked us into giving him 7 million a year.

 

[Byron Bitz]

Ask WendellStache what he thinks about Phaneuf and you'll get a taste for how underrated he is around here

 

[Moncherry]

Bernier, because last season the devoted followers of Saint Reimer made it a point to blow up every single mistake he made. Not that he was perfect, because he did let in some soft goals at times, but he was targeted by people who were fuelled by the myth that the only reason the Leafs had any success at all last season was because of Reimer and it was a crime that Bernier was even acquired in the first place.

A perfect summary of these criticisms occurred when the Leafs were in the midst of their season-ending losing streak and he came back against St. Louis. He let in a soft goal on account of a bad groin because he was rushed back from injury early, got lambasted for giving up the lead, yet meanwhile people ignored the fact that the only reason the Leafs were in the ****ing game at that point was because he stood on his head in the first period and made 21 damn saves.

 

[Sonofamitch]

I'll go with Robidas, people don't understand how good the guy is when he's healthy.

 

[diceman934]

Gardiner

This poll is not working when all the players are not options....seems like it is rigged to produce a certain result.

 

[X66]

Kessel by other fans.

I watch games with so many different teams, and I'd say most of them don't have a forward as dynamic as Kessel.

For Leafs fans, it's Cody Franson.