NHL players poll - most overrated

[LuncheonMeat]

I didn't see this anywhere so thought I would post.  According to SI, the most overrated player in the NHL is none other than Dion Phaneuf.  I wouldn't normally post an SI link, but this was a poll of 167(?) NHL players.  Personally, I don't agree but I'm a Leaf fan.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1201/nhl.players.poll.most.overrated/content.1.html

Interesting to see Ovechkin at #2.  Personally, the guy is a force on the ice so not sure how he's overrated, but whatever...

 

[crazyperfectdevil]

well ..the leafs have done okay since kessel was picked last ....since the poll came out saying that nobody wanted to play for wilson ..now with this ..i expect phaneuf to win the norris

 

[louisstamos]

Hasn't Phaneuf been #1 on the same poll the last 4 years or something?

 

[maplesyrup]

It really wouldn't surprise me if nobody @ SI has watched a single Leaf game all of last calender year and into this one. 

 

[LuncheonMeat]

Hasn't Phaneuf been #1 on the same poll the last 4 years or something?

Interesting, while Phaneuf is turning into the player he used to be, his stock is falling at an alarming rate.  Apparently performance is inversely proportional to (over) rating.

From last year:  One answer in particular will not please fans of the Vancouver Canucks; 6% of players thought Roberto Luongo was the most overrated player in the game (the highest percentage of any single player). He was followed by a four-way tie between Vincent Lecavalier, Dion Phaneuf, Jay Bouwmeester and Sean Avery, who all hit the mark of 4%.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/dion-phaneuf-really-nhl-most-overrated-player-212253788.html

This year (same article):  1. Dion Phaneuf, Toronto Maple Leafs D 20%
2. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals LW 8%
3. Scott Gomez, Montreal Canadiens C 6%
4. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks G 6%
5. Dany Heatley, Minnesota Wild LW 4%

Rounding out the list:

6. Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey Devils
7. Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
8. Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary Flames
9. Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks
10. Mike Komisarek, Toronto Maple Leafs
11. Chris Pronger, Philadelphia Flyers
12. Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
13. Alexander Semin, Washington Capitals
14. Olli Jokinen, Calgary Flames
15. Ed Jovanovski, Florida Panthers

 

[TML fan]

I think it means more coming from the players than it would coming from some sports writer.

That being said, there is probably an emotional element to this poll if it's coming from players. Whether it's jealousy regarding salary vs performance or on ice antics or whatever. I mean, how else would Sean Avery have made an "overrated" list in the past? I don't think he's ever been looked at as anything more than a goon.

Phaneuf may not be as intimidating physically or as difficult to play against as he appears to be, but he probably annoys the crap out of a lot of players and that in itself is a positive attribute. At the end of the day, Phaneuf is having a pretty good year and that's all that matters to me.

 

[Bender]

Hasn't Phaneuf been #1 on the same poll the last 4 years or something?

I don't know why people think he's overrated. He's a pretty good defenseman and still hits very hard. No one is saying he should be a Norris candidate year in year out but he's doing a good job. I wouldn't say he's the MOST overrated player in the league.

 

[Kin]

It really wouldn't surprise me if nobody @ SI has watched a single Leaf game all of last calender year and into this one.

Why? They employ hockey writers.

Anyways, being as this is a poll of players there's probably some validity to it. I think for a lot of guys in the league a big part of this is going to be a question of salary and that list is also close to being a who's who of bad contracts.

Likewise, I think there's probably some holdover from when Phaneuf was getting Norris noms and was as overrated then as he is now.

 

[riff raff]

Why would Scott Gomez rank as #3 overrated?

Who is rating him high these days??

 

[Tigger]

Seeing Iginla and Semin back to back leaves me inclined to pretty much dismiss the poll.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I really don't know where the players get the idea that a player is overrated, but it seems as though they haven't really been keeping up over the past few years. Guys like Gomez, Jay-Bo, and Jovo were all overrated at one point, but I think the perception of them as players has really leveled out.

Why would Scott Gomez rank as #3 overrated?

Who is rating him high these days??

I thought the same about Komisarek. 

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

Why would Scott Gomez rank as #3 overrated?

Who is rating him high these days??

Yeah you have to be "rated" first in order to qualify for being overrated no?

Komisarek being overrated is also puzzling he's been pretty bad the last 2 years, and has played a handful of games (compared to most players anyways) this year due to injury.

I think the candidate for most overrated should be Kovalchuk. Huge contract and not really getting much done.

Edit: Pronger making the list is also funny. I mean the guy is a game changer (although he's toast this year), has won  a bunch of hardware and is generally regarded as one of the best in the game. Apparently that qualifies as overrated.

 

[L K]

Burke's reaction about crap in their chapeaus was a little over the top, but, yeah, it seems like it is entirely a poll of "who am I most jealous about salary-wise, Canadian media attention-wise, and who do I not like to play against'.

Ovechkin is the 2nd most overrated player in the league?  How?  Everyone has crapped on his play since he stopped scoring at an insane pace.

I think DGB said it best:

20% of NHL players said Dion Phaneuf is overrated. 100% of those players added "Uh, you're completely sure this survey is anonymous, right?"

 

[Kin]

That being said, there is probably an emotional element to this poll if it's coming from players. Whether it's jealousy regarding salary vs performance or on ice antics or whatever. I mean, how else would Sean Avery have made an "overrated" list in the past? I don't think he's ever been looked at as anything more than a goon.

I think that's probably a different concept of overrated than the players are going to be inclined to use. Players, I think, aren't going to think of this as "Player X is ranked 18th among forwards when he really should be 30th" or something but rather "Player X receives a certain amount of media attention/endorsement opportunities/salary that isn't commensurate with his actual contributions"

I think that's how a guy like Sean Avery would make a list like that and why a guy like Scott Gomez would be on it now.

 

[maplesyrup]

Why? They employ hockey writers.

Because Phaneuf's body of work from Jan'11 to now has been really quite good and it puzzles me how they've missed that. Or, maybe the writers over there really do feel he should be perennial Norris trophy candidate in which case they're probably well off the mark too.

 

[Kin]

Ovechkin is the 2nd most overrated player in the league?  How?  Everyone has crapped on his play since he stopped scoring at an insane pace.

Well, for what it's worth, I've always felt he was overrated. I don't think there's a trophy he's won that wasn't very, very debatable.

 

[Zee]

They're just haters. Phaneuf is great.

 

[Kin]

Because Phaneuf's body of work from Jan'11 to now has been really quite good and it puzzles me how they've missed that. Or, maybe the writers over there really do feel he should be perennial Norris trophy candidate in which case they're probably well off the mark too.

Um, I don't think you understand what this is. This is a poll of players. All SI is doing is publishing the results of how the players answered. I mean, unless your argument is that the players haven't watched a lot of hockey in that time span, then SI really has little to do with it.

 

[maplesyrup]

Because Phaneuf's body of work from Jan'11 to now has been really quite good and it puzzles me how they've missed that. Or, maybe the writers over there really do feel he should be perennial Norris trophy candidate in which case they're probably well off the mark too.

Um, I don't think you understand what this is. This is a poll of players. All SI is doing is publishing the results of how the players answered. I mean, unless your argument is that the players haven't watched a lot of hockey in that time span, then SI really has little to do with it.

Well, you're right. I didn't know it was a player's poll. I guess I missed that. Only because I didn't bother to open the link. Primarily because I don't normally go to them for my hockey related material for a reason. Anyway, my mistake.

 

[Kaberle15]

The important thing is that Dion won and by a huge margin.

Good for the #6th Dman in points this season. And his leadeship is iffy, afterall he is the captain of the yongest team in the NHL that without a proven #1 goalie sits (so far - and hopefully when the music stops) on a playoff spot. Now, that is overated.