Who was the most under rated player to have played for the Anaheim Ducks that had a significant contribution to the team? I am not talking about with any other team in his career but rather just his time when he was with the Ducks.

Todd Marchant. How many times have we seen this guy on the ice when a GWG is scored? And then there is stuff like this...

In triple overtime. I remember my family was mad because it was a Sunday morning(soon turned to afternoon), and I was watching hockey for about five hours.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF6Gx0owdc8
and
Odd goal, he made it look easy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A0MlA-LJYc

Yet all you can find on youtube, is those two goals (and some other big goal for some other unimportant team ), and then every big hitter in the league laying into him (who I affectionately call the red headed stranger).

Carney

Antti Aalto

LOL

Steve Thomas gets my vote.

by the fans or by the media outside of Ducks organization... cause the whole team at times is largely underrated...
take the last year's POs for example... how many sweeps by Sharks were predicted? or pitiful 4-1's?

i say Sami is the most underrated... the Selke that year was his, was supposed to be his, he got robbed.

i don't think that guys like T-Bone or Brown are underrated. they are not supposed to be anyone to the outsiders, but the fans and the guys on both sides know, see and respect the energy, heart and dedication. you got this kind of guys on each team. do i know them by name or face on any other team? no, not really (well maybe on Chicago team). but i see them in the games when they play the Ducks (or occasionally when i watch Hawks or Nuckies game them too )
they are the bottom of an iceberg of a team, supporting the shiny, tiny tip.
dependable hard working horses
invisible force. the term "underrate" doesn't apply to them... you can see it or not see it, you can respect or not respect it.. at least that's how i see it

Steve Rucchin

Drew Miller


Yeah, I know... "shocker"

Travis Moen

Rob Niedermayer



Nobody ever had a harsh word for Pahlsson... he had the respect of the fans and players alike. I think he got his due... certainly he flew under the radar of the casual NHL fan, but Ducks fans almost loved him universally.

Agree w/ you on guys like Brown. They don't have enough impact to really be under rated.

Marchant

I've noticed all three of these guys mentioned so far. Moen, Rob N. and sami. I think individually these guys were underrated but together, on that checking line, it was well known how good they were.

Good question, and one that's going to have a different answer for everyone. I would say it's either Mike Leclerc, Andy McDonald or Adam Oates. I don't think we realized how important Andy McDonald was to this team until after we traded him and saw how hard it was to replace him. Leclerc did a lot of the things you need to do to be successful and he paid a price, physically, for it. Adam Oates was a wizard in the faceoff circle and at passing and he was a big part of why that team made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Joe Sacco

Oates!
He was a huge part in 03. He was settign up Kariya and Sykora left and right!

that's the thing, we all know and love our Ducks. but i was talking about the league.
i opened a bank account few weeks ago and the guy was a hawks fan but he drooled over my Teemu-jersey-purse and joked that Ducks just traded Hiller (it was few days after the trade brought us Hillier). i have no idea if this guy is a good example as he used to intern for the hawks and from the looks of it he is a die hard hockey fan first and then a Hawks fan. and he follows the news pretty tightly. but i'm not sure that the guys like him or maybe guys a bit less involved knew/know of Pahlsson's contribution to that Cup. Chicago knows of Sami now, but mainly as a rental player recovering after mono... when i was watching Chi games with Pahlsson still on the roster all the commentators said was that he got the Cup with the Ducks some time ago. and bandwagonners and "tidal fans" know of the players only what they are told during the game. and Chicago is now the team that is 3rd among "knowing Sami the best"

that's why i was questioning the thread name.. underrated by fans or by the league and/or fans of other teams.
cause he certainly was loved here in Anaheim and there was no question ever how important his role and the whole line's role was during the Cup run, but by the league standards... in his case IMO anything less than a Selke is underrating the guy.
i still remember the jabbing between Sens fans right before the Finals. how they were boasting that Pizza line would demolish Ducks, to our "wait till you see Pahlsson line" the answers were in the neighborhood "there wasn't ever created a line that will stop Pizza..." i guess they were right in some way... there wasn't a line before Sami's line

Rob Niedermayer

Certainly under-appreciated.....

did i imagine that or the amount of ENGs went down with Rob's departure?

yeah i know it has more to do with Ducks trailing most of the time last season, but w/o Rob EmptyNettermayer it's still not the same

Looking from a points perspective, a guy like Matt Cullen 286 GP 200 Pts. (65G and 135A).
Thomas, Oates and Fedorov all did greats stuff while Ducks, but short times here so I discount em.
Oualasson maybe, Salei, Carney and Vish always...
Chistov, for what could have been... But wasn't for more than a season.

Marty McInnis

Ruslan Salei

Mike LeClerc and Matt Cullen.

Andy Mac, Drew Miller, Matt Cullen

Can Drew Miller really be the most underrated player? He's someone who didn't accomplish much in Anaheim, and he hasn't accomplished much away from it.

Adam Oates doesn't get my vote for this very reason.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQGEK1YZ6WY

I think he can. He was/is a role player who played very hard and looking back it was a mistake to get rid of him considering everyone involved in his trade is now gone (Drew for R2, R2 for Oystrick, Oystrick cut). He ended up having a nightly role on the Wings 66 GP, 10 G, 9 A, 19 Pts, +5 for a 3rd line wing isnt too bad.

I think we are getting a little off track. I don't thin the question is "who was underrated by Ducks mgmt and went on to prove them wrong", I think it's more "who was much better HERE than the credit they got for it".

In that regard I think Miller got the recognition here that he deserved. Andy Mac too.

I'd look to a guy like Salei who put in very good years here and never really was a fan favorite or a guy team management really pimped. Rob Neidermayer kinda the same way.

Good point, Then I would agree. I guess I look at how Andy Mac was dismissed and it just still pisses me off that we got rid of him for Dead Weight, but your right that was more of a mgmt thing.

The Doug Weight for Andy Mac Trade was good on paper so you cant really blame that offer from coming.



Personally, I think the most underrated Duck was Steve Rucchin. The guy was a trooper who had his face smashed in as well as winning face offs on a regular basis. If it weren't for him, I dont think that Selanne nor Kariya would have had such a good time playing here in Anaheim. During his time here, you never heard his name outside of the Anaheim franchise but I dont think defensive orientated centers like Mike Comrie would have the deals that they do if it werent for him. Seriously, compare Mike Comrie to Rucchin as far as how much you hear about these two guys. Even Ryan Kesler for that fact. (Okay so Rucchin didnt have the mean streak that Kesler does.)

I dunno Andy Macs age compared to Weights should have been factor #1. I hated that trade, it didnt need to be done and we lost big time there.

Rucchin to me has gotten alot of praise from fans and mgmt, I dont think we is/was really under rated.

Yes



On the ice he filled every role given him, even producing at a pt/game pace when given a chance on the 1st line. He also has his name on the Stanley Cup... most people would consider that an accomplishment... I'd assume Marcel Dionne does.

Off the Ice he was an example that other athletes, even other hockey players could only dream of living up to.



He went from a waiver pickup to a 2nd line winger on the red wings... yes, partly due to injuries to other players, but when the wings got healthy it wasn't Drew who was shipped off or sent to the minors, instead he settled in a stable, reliable shutdown forward and cost Ville Leino and Brad May their spots.

Overall I'd say he was vastly underrated for his multi-dimensional play, It's not discussed often but on the PK when taking faceoffs his results were astounding(60% or so as I recall) he was very much a Todd Marchant style 'play the role given and play it well' player...

and never got the credit Todd did.

It's not so much that his play was so far and away spectacular... it's the complete lack of recognition in relation to his play.




I'd sort of agree there.

He got recognition from Fans... Not management.

Andy got it from both and as a result, I have no idea why anyone has mentioned him.

Miller
Carter
Bryz
O'Donnel

are recent players I'd have on this list over Andy

He played 3 games in the 2007 playoffs, Todrick. I appreciate that winning the Cup is an accomplishment for a hockey player, but give me a friggin break.

I know you like Drew Miller, but you seriously exaggerate his abilities on the ice. The guy was not good in the top six. He worked hard, and I admired that, but Dan Sexton performed better in the top six than he did, and for a longer period of time.

Yes, if you surround Miller with talent he's going to put him more points. When Fedoruk played with the twins, he did better offensively too, but no one mistook him for a top six forward.



Partly due to the injuries? Or primarily due to the injuries? Detroit thinks so much of him that they signed him to a one-year contract, and for what? 650k. You make it sound like they are welcoming him into their arms. Let's call it what it is. They are giving him a shot to prove he should stay on the team. With that contract, they can put him on waivers or ship him off for a bag of pucks, and lose nothing in the process.

Miller never got the credit Marchant did because he was never as good as Marchant. He wasn't as fast as he was, or as physical, or as good defensively. Drew Miller was, at best, Marchant-lite.

And for the record, I think Miller is a better fit in Detroit than he is in Anaheim... but seriously, dude. Miller is a bottom six forward on the Wings. He'll probably end up as a 4th liner, or a player who rotates in and out of the line-up. A player like that is not underrated. He's not important enough to be underrated.

again... Marcel Dionne would probably disagree.




Dan Sexton played longer on the top six.

Drew had better stats while playing there.

There is no arguing that, it's fact.




which was exactly my point.

Drew can play whatever role given him and play it well, much like Marchant.

do you really think Fedoruk is as multi-demensional as either Miller or Marchant?




Like the Ducks, sure.

doesn't change the fact that when called on he played the exact role the needed.

It's been the story of his career...

when called on he does what is needed to get results... pt/gm as a top 6 winger, PK shutdown winger/center, Stanley cup winner.



I would argue Miller was, not quite as fast(marchant has slowed in his old age), not as physical due to simple physics, but definitely better defensively.





again like I said... it's not that his skill as great, it's that his value is perceived to be so low.

Skill: 1 - 10 = 4
Rating: 1 - 10 = 1

where as Marchant for instance:

Skill: 1 - 10 = 5
Rating: 1 - 10 = 4

you have just kind of reinforced my point.

And yet I doubt many people would contest that Sexton is better offensively.

You might, but I doubt many others would.



No, Fedoruk wasn't as multi-dimensional, but that wasn't the point.

Miller is a jack-of-all-trades, but he doesn't really excel in any one area. His strongest area of the game is defense, and I doubt many people would mistake him for a true shutdown forward. Marchant is better at being at a jack-of-all-trades than Miller is. Or, he was while Miller was here.



Yes, and he plays it adequately. That's while he'll probably be a bubble player his entire career.



Maybe smarter defensively, but not better.



You're putting an arbitrary number up there. How does that reinforce your point?

Because It's how i rate them vs how they are perceived by others...

See that, I also think Marchant is probably the better overall player, but it seems apparent that most people see him far and away better than Miller.... and I just don't see that.

It sounds like you're underrating how other people are rating Miller.

Miller is a 4th line forward. That's what he was in Anaheim. That's what he will be in Detroit. That's what most people, at least that I've seen, rate him as. Him being a jack-of-all-trades is likely the only thing that keeps him in the NHL, but it's also one of the things that keeps him from having more value. There are a lot of players who are better offensively than him, can grind better, can play defensively better, and so on. They might not have quite his versatility, but they make up for it by being better in the roles they are asked to play in. If you want a top six forward, you get a top six forward. If you want a shutdown forward, that's what you get. If you want a grinder, or a fighter, that's the player you look to.

And that's the problem with Miller. That's why he will probably be one of the first players to get scratched in games.

Marchant and Rob

Drew Miller is a hero to Todrick and his family but he's nothing more than an average fourth line NHL player in my opinion (and in the opinion of Brian Burke, Bob Murray and Ken Holland).

Bobby Dollas is a guy that deserves to be in this conversation. Very under-rated player both then and especially now.

Steve Thomas....Loved Stumpy!!!

+1 for Leclerc but as for recent history, I'd have to put down Zenon Konopka. He was amazing in his limited time here. He would go to the net hard, cause havoc, he would hit, he stood up for his teammates, he would fight if needed, and he would score at will.

Leclerc... le sigh...

Well, in his defence, he was dead on accurate(bullseye from across the rink...)

That was the same year Anaheim swept them in the playoffs.

Sammy Phalsson

/thread

Ruslan Salei, Vitaly Vishnevski, Mikhail Shtalenkov, Joe Sacco, Dan Byslma

Definitely Pahlsson or Marchant. I completely agree that Pahlsson deserved the Selke in '07, but the award doesn't go to unpopular players because that's not good publicity. That year was rigged for awards more than any in my opinion, but I digress. Marchant, anyways, continues to provide more valuable services on and off the ice than ever. Why he has not been placed in (at least) and alternate captain's slot in beyond me.

Pahlsson or Marchant.

Great discussion in this thread. Love seeing Dollas, Carney, Rucchin, and Sami's names on here.

3) MARCHANT, TODD: Look at a calendar and the NHL transactions and you'll find this club began winning not immediately after the Fedorov deal re-shaped the roster, but days later when Marchant arrived. He is a winner and a warrior. Heart. Passion. Sacrifice. Destiny. He not only created it, he embodies it.

2) NIEDERMAYER, ROB: Much like Marchant, Rob arrived and was a spark plug that helped turn the team from joke to near Cinderella. He put team before self and was rewarded by constantly being derided by many for being paid a salary that they contended was nothing more than a bribe to land his brother.

1) NIEDERMAYER, SCOTT: While the fans chanted "one more year" in Teemu's direction at the end of last season, Scott (knowing full well he likely wasn't playing another NHL game) slipped quietly out of the spotlight - largely unnoticed. Yes, he captained the franchise to a Cup and won the Conn Smythe. He also captained Canada to gold in Vancouver - an honor many incorrectly bestow on Sidney Crosby. I think that's a great summation for his level of being under appreciated. Yes, most agree that he's a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. And, yet, I think a lot of people (including a fair number here) won't fully appreciate his true impact here for many more years.

I am aware that Pahlsson was never hated but he lived in the shadow while guys like Teemu, Andy, the kids, Scotty, Prongs were in the Limelight and guys like Moen, and Beauchemin, and Todd too were the back scenes. I will tell you all right now that had Sammy Pahlsson not been a Duck in 07 we wouldnt have a cup. ( I know this is all '07 talk )lol