The 5 Most Overrated Players of the 2010-2011 National Hockey League Regular Season –Part 1
After one of the most exciting National Hockey League (NHL) regular seasons in history, it is important and necessary to discuss what each player put on the table for his team.
Some played far beyond expectations, some played far below, some were given too much hype and some were not given enough recognition.
In this discussion, we will talk about the players who were the most overrated throughout the 2010-2011 NHL regular season, taking into perspective their performance along with the statistics they recorded and the hype that was created about them.
It is not a personal grudge against these players, it is all based on logic and how they truly performed in front of their fans.
The greatest are those that are able to take home the cup, and not just get a few goals in the net every other game.
Starting with number five, we will continue until we reach number one, and yes, the ranking is based on least overrated (5), to most overrated (1).
5. Jarome Iginla (Captain, Calgary Flames)
Jarome Iginla deserves respect for sure. He is truly one of the top players in the league and has proven that many times. There is no need to say that there probably is not a better leader for a team than Iginla himself, who has taken Calgary Flames to new
heights.
That is all true, but the man has never been able to win the Stanley Cup no matter how hard he tries. The last chance he had was in 2004 when Flames went deep into the Western Conference Finals and emerged victorious only to lose in the Stanley Cup Final
against Tampa Bay Lightning in a close seven-game series.
Iginla is a guiding light for the rest of the Calgary team, but still, that has not been enough for them, and in the previous season, he could not even lead them into the playoffs.
The 11th overall pick of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft has played all 14 seasons with Flames now, and has played all 82 games for four consecutive seasons now.
As a captain, Iginla missed the playoffs for the second time straight, which puts Calgary at a state of confusion. They all love Iginla for his 86 point performance (43 goals, 43 assists), but they want more from him, and playing alone is not going to get
him anywhere.
Calgary has one of the best goalies in the league, Miikka Kiprusoff, and some great defenseman and attackers. Building team chemistry should be his future goal, if he wants to lead them to their first Stanley Cup in over 20 years.
4. Jeff Skinner (Carolina Hurricanes)
Yes Jeff Skinner was only a rookie, yes he is only 19 years old, yes it was his first season in the NHL, but that still does not mean that a team as capable as Carolina Hurricanes play in a manner they did last season.
Skinner was the seventh overall pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft; he won the Calder Memorial Trophy for being the rookie of the year and also put up a 63 point first season, 31 goals, 32 assists.
All those achievements should not let him off the hook because he earned them and should have been able to do much more.
For sure, Carolina missed the postseason by an inch, 81 points compared to eight placed New York Rangers at 83, but having Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner should be enough to penetrate any team, especially a club like Rangers, confused all season long.
Continued in part 2….
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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