Krepps: Chandler Stephenson is the Most Underrated Player in the NHL

The discussion about which players in the National Hockey League are the most underrated always seems to create a paradox. By labeling a player underrated, you are then rating that player and bringing more attention to them. So, in reality, the truly underrated players are the ones who have never been considered underrated in the first place. If we were to name examples, then the cycle would start all over again.

I'm willing to start this paradox up again to talk about Chandler Stephenson, who continues to be a star for the Vegas Golden Knights. 

In my opinion, he is the most underrated player in the entire league.

Easy Stevey

When outsiders think of the Golden Knight's top stars, they think of Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone, and Shea Theodore. But rarely do you see people turning attention to the team's second-leading point scorer from last season. In 202 career games with the VGK, Stephenson has 49 goals, 99 assists, and 148 points. This season he is second on the team in scoring with 27 points in 31 games, only behind Eichel.

He was our player of the year last season and our player of the month in October.

“He's one of those guys who plays 19 minutes a night and is a point-per-game guy. If you ask a lot of people in the league, they probably are not that aware of him," said Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy.

His speed and versatility are a sight to behold. Stephenson has never been to an NHL all-star game but seems to skate as fast as the likes of Connor McDavid, Dylan Larkin, and Cale Makar. Last night against the Winnipeg Jets, he had four assists in the Golden Knight's win.

“He should go to the All-Star game and race with McDavid and those guys, I’m telling ya. He can cover ice,” added Cassidy.

Stevey's Story

Stephenson, who won a Stanley Cup against the Golden Knights in the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals with the Washington Capitals, was acquired in Dec. of 2019 for a 2021 fifth-round pick (Ty Murchison). 

President of Hockey Operations George McPhee, who formerly worked in the Capitals organization, no doubt knew of his potential as Stephenson signed a four-year deal worth $2.75 million with the VGK in 2020. Stephenson was a fourth-line guy in the Capitals organization, overshadowed by guys like Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Alex Ovechkin.

"I was a good find by us. He has taken advantage of a situation. If you ask every player that has been put in that situation, that is what they want. They want more responsibility, and most of them want to move up in the lineup," said Cassidy.

At a time when the Golden Knights didn't have Jack Eichel, Stephenson emerged as a top-six forward, able to play both center and wing. He spent the majority of last season as the team's first-line center. This season he has played on the top line with Mark Stone and Jack Eichel when he is healthy.

"He has been a good fit for us in the middle and on the wing. We switched him mid-game to the wing, and it has been very seamless for him. That line has had instant chemistry. He has played well with Mark (Stone) but throwing Jack (Eichel) in the mix, I have seen a lot of good things," said Cassidy.

Other Underrated

Looking around the league, there are a lot of other players that can be labeled as the most underrated in the league. Based on their play this season, I think we are past the point where we consider Tage Thompson and Jason Robertson in this category.

The Golden Knights just got a look at Kyle Connor, who put up 47 goals last season and has 30 points in 28 games played this year.

The Calgary Flames have a duo of underrated players in Elias Lindholm and Rasmus Andersson. Lindholm, who is nearing 700 career NHL games, had 82 points in 82 games last season and has 28 points in 23 games this season. Defensemen Andersson had 20 points on the year in 29 games.

Kevin Fiala has given the Golden Knights trouble in his career and is now in the Pacific Division. He finished 22nd in league-wide scoring last year with 85 points in 82 games played. He has 32 points in 32 games this season with the Los Angeles Kings.

Stanley Cup Champions Jake Guentzel and Robert Thomas are also criminally underrated.

I don't think Stephenson is better than some of these players. But I think he is more underrated than all of them.

What's Next

For Stephenson to be labeled as the true star that he is, I think a couple of things need to happen. 

1) He needs to continue his upwards trajectory in the NHL and potentially break his career-high point total of last season, 64 points. 

2) He needs to gain some sort of league-wide recognition as either a player of the week/month or maybe even get named to the NHL All-Star Game. 

3) I don't think he is the frontrunner for any major award, but I think he could get some votes for NHL Awards like the Selke.

4) He'll need a new contract in two-years years. The Golden Knights are rolling in savings with the bargain contract they have Stephenson signed to ($2.75 million). But once he gets a deal worth $5-7 million, fans across the league will start to take notice of him even more.

I don't think Chanler Stephenson really cares whether or not he is underrated. Both he and the rest of the Golden Knights know how good he is and the two have been a great fit for each other as Stephenson encapsulates what it means to be a true Misfit.

But it is part of my job to shed light on the Golden Knights, both good and bad, and today I'm choosing to shine a light on the most underrated player in the National Hockey League, Chandler Stephenson.