Overrated/Underrated: Northwest Division

The mighty Dion overrated? Only the Bench Boss has the balls to say and defend something like that

After a brief hiatus, the Bench Boss is back with his second to last installment of overrated/underrated for the 2009 season. Today we look at the Northwest division where you will find probably the most controversial of all the overrated selections.

Calgary Flames

Overrated: Dion Phaneuf- This is surely to be my most controversial selection in the overrated department, but one that is easy to see for anyone that has a knowledge of the game. Yes, Phaneuf possesses some of the most impressive physical ability and raw talent in the league, that we have always known, but there are still a lot of issues with this game. Aside from the canon of a shot that gives him the distinction of a power play specialist, and his physical strength, there are some areas where Phaneuf’s struggles are quite evident. At times he seems uninterested at defending in his own zone, often being caught out of position or lacking the footspeed and quickness in a one on one situation.  He is prone to a bad pinch and going out of  his way to try for the big hit (I see him skating forwards to backcheck more often than I see him skating backwards like a regular defensemen). His lack of defensive awareness is evidenced this year by his brutal -13, (worst on the team) and on a winning team nonetheless.

Underrated: Rene Bourque- Bourque has now been injured for quite some time having missed close to the last 20 games for the Flames, but when he was in the lineup he was one of the key reasons for the Flames ascent in the Western Conference standings. Before going down with an ankle injury, Bourque was in the middle of a career year that saw him post 21 goals and had he not gone down he would likely be over 30.

Colorado Avalanche

Overrated: Wojtek Wolski- Like the entire Avalance season, this campaign has been a definite disappointment for Wolski. He was expected to put up somewhere between 25-30 goals but it looks like he will not even get 20. If you could muster the strength to watch an Avs game this year, you would probably forget that Wolski even plays, as he will go completely unnoticed for long stretches of games. He is often like a ghost out there who doesn’t even get involved in the play let alone actually doing something offensively. Until of course in the shooutout where he is virtually unstoppable.

Underrated: Nil- I tried as hard as possible to try and find someone that fits the underrated mold but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. That just goes to show the kind of season it has been in Denver this year.

Edmonton Oilers

Overrated: Lubomir Visnovsky- Luby, Luby, Luby, what have you done to warrant that 7 million dollar contract you were given in the offseason by the Oilers? The answer is simple, very little.  Visnovsky has only appeared in 50 games this year, and when he was playing it was not like he was blowing anyone away with his offensive production, which was the main reason he was brought in. If the Oilers miss the playoffs, Visnovsky”s unproductive season will be a big reason why.

Underrated: Tom Gilbert- Of all the players that I have labeled as underrated, Gilbert might be at the top of the list. Quick question: who is the sixth leading scorer on the Edmonton Oilers? Yep, the answer is Mr. Gilbert. The little known blueliner is currently outscoring such future “superstars” as Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner (both could have been included on the overrated list).

Minnesota Wild

Overrated: Kim Johnsson- Kim (don’t call me Kimberly) Johnsson has long been overrated in this league. The Wild are currently paying 5 million for a guy that has 1 goal and is a minus on the season. Those are pretty obvious credentials of an overrated player.

Underrated: Owen Nolan- A few years ago Nolan would have probably been considered completely overrated, but now has he gets up in years and is paid little attention to, he is definitely the opposite. Nolan has posted a head scratching 23 goals this year in just 53 games and seems to be the only guy scoring for the offensively challenged Wild down the stretch.

Vancouver Canucks

Overrated: Mats Sundin and Pavol Demitra- There was no way that I could choose between these two veterans. Both of them are still two extremely important players and will be counted on immensely in the playoffs, but neither of them are anything close to their former selves. While they still possess some of the skills that made them great in this league, sometimes the body just doesn’t allow such skills to show through as much.

Underrated: Willie Mitchell- The easy choice here is Alex Burrows but the Bench Boss likes to dig a little deeper. I’ve also already done a piece on Burrows so I’m gonna go with good ole’ Willie on this one. Mitchell has been the steadiest of all Canuck blueliners this year and although he will not give you much in the offensive zone (just 21 points) he is as reliable as they come in the defensive end, evidenced by his +32 rating which is among the league leaders.