One under-the-radar player on every NHL team

He is probably one of the top three players on the Ducks and has scored 30 goals in two of the past three seasons, but he still seems to be mostly unknown outside of Anaheim, especially after a down year in 2018-19 for both him and the team. The team as a whole may not be much better this season, but do not be surprised if Rakell bounces back with another 30-goal performance during the 2019-20 season. 

You should not expect him to score 19 goals again (he did that in 2018-19), but Richardson is a solid veteran who can play some tough minutes and play an important role for a young team. He costs little against the cap, will play well defensively, and can still chip in a little bit of offense. 

When the Boston Bruins had three consecutive first-round picks in 2015, they passed on some outstanding players (including Mathew Barzal, Brock Boeser, Kyle Connor, Thomas Chabot and Travis Konecny). Softening that blow is the fact that one of the players they did take, DeBrusk, has turned out to be an excellent NHLer in his own right. After a promising rookie season, DeBrusk came back during the 2018-19 season and scored 27 goals in only 66 games and started to look like a nice piece the Bruins can build around.  

Undrafted, undersized, but always useful, Sheary first started to make a name for himself when he played some big minutes next to Sidney Crosby as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. There he earned himself two Stanley Cup rings and a nice contract. He brings speed and some skill to the Sabres lineup and can cause all sorts of headaches for opposing defenders due to his skating. 

There is nothing flashy about Ryan's game, but he just flat out gets the job done as a depth forward. He did not make his NHL debut until age 29, but he has turned out to be a stellar two-way, possession-driving player who is a perfect third-line option. Even at more than $3 million per year, he is a great value for the Flames. 

The Hurricanes have assembled one of the NHL's best defensive groups and they just keep adding to it. The most underrated of their defensive players is Pesce, a 24-year-old who had a career year in 2018-19 and received some Norris Trophy consideration. He may not produce a ton of points offensively, but he is a great defensive player who helps lock down the defensive end of the ice. 

After a disappointing tenure with the Arizona Coyotes, Strome began to find himself and play up to his potential following a midseason trade to the Blackhawks. He is a recent No. 3 overall pick, still young and has a track record of being a star player at every level of hockey at which he has played. If his post-trade performance turns out to be for real and not a fluke, the Blackhawks will have found themselves another core player to build around long term. 

The Avalanche have one of the best young teams in the league and are building a Stanley Cup contender. One of the more overlooked young players in that core is Compher, one of the key pieces they received in the trade that sent Ryan O'Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres a few years ago. Compher scored 16 goals in 66 games this past season, and if he can become a steady 20-goal forward he would be a great complement to their top-line superstars. 

With Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene leaving via free agency this summer, the Blue Jackets are going to need a lot of improvement from within to help make up for the missing goals. Bjorkstrand is one of the players they should be leaning on to improve. He scored 23 goals this past season and is still at an age where some improvement could be expected. 

The Stars did not get a lot of offense outside of their top line during the 2018-19 season, but Faksa was one of their more useful depth players. He is a strong defensive presence down the middle of their lineup and is a 30-point player. He is the ideal third-line center for a championship-caliber team. 

Mantha may never become a star for the Red Wings, but he has at least become a useful player they can pencil in for 25 goals every year. There is a lot to be said for that, and he has definitely been one of the few bright spots on an otherwise forgettable team the past couple of seasons. 

Two things have hurt Klefbom over the past couple of years, the first being that he has dealt with some injury issues that have kept him off the ice. The second is the rest of the Oilers defense is so bad that it makes it difficult for the few good players to get much positive recognition. But Klefbom is a legitimately good player and one the Oilers should be looking to build around on their blue line. 

Vatrano has produced at every level at which he has played, and the Panthers were smart to trade a third-round draft pick for him during the 2017-18 season. Once he had an opportunity to play regular minutes, he became a 24-goal scorer for the Panthers and has been a great addition to their offense. 

There were not many positives for the Kings over the past few years, but Campbell has quietly become a useful NHL goalie after looking like a first-round bust. In 38 games with the Kings, he has a .925 save percentage and has looked good behind an otherwise lackluster team. He will continue to go under the radar in the sense that Jonathan Quick will always play ahead of him no matter what the two goalies do. It is Quick's net, and nothing short of a trade will change that. 

Spurgeon might be one of the most under-the-radar players in the entire league. He is a first-pairing defender who excels equally in both ends of the ice, shutting things down defensively and still contributing offense. New general manager Bill Guerin's first big move was to get Spurgeon signed to a seven-year contract extension after former general manager Paul Fenton dragged his feet on getting a new deal worked out. 

Danault has quietly become one of the league's better defensive forwards and finished seventh in the Selke Trophy voting this past season. Combine that defensive play with 50-point offense, and you have one heck of a player who is probably a bargain against the salary cap at $3 million per season. 

It seems like Granlund is getting overlooked in Nashville because he has been there for only a handful of games following a trade from the Minnesota Wild and because he managed just two goals in his first 22 games (regular season and playoffs combined) with the team. He is better than that and can still be a 70-point player over a full season. He figures to play a big role in the Predators offense this season and is playing for a new contract after this season. 

The Devils roster now boasts a former Norris Trophy winner (P.K. Subban), a former league MVP (Taylor Hall), two No. 1 overall picks (Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes) and a superstar from the KHL (Nikita Gusev). That is a lot of high-end talent. But do not overlook Kyle Palmieri, who has quietly gone about his business with the Devils and been a consistently productive winger. Since arriving in New Jersey four years ago, Palmieri has scored 107 goals in 298 games. Only once in four years has he failed to score at least 25 in a season, and that came during the 2017-18 season when he scored 24 goals...in only 62 games. 

It took him until age 24 to make his NHL debut, but it was a great first impression that was worth the wait. He appeared in 48 regular-season games and made an immediate impact, quickly making his presence known and showing that he deserves a regular spot in the lineup. He is an outstanding modern-day defender who can move the puck, drive possession and join the play offensively. Do not be surprised if he has a huge season for the Islanders this year. 

This is a bold pick because he has not yet played a game in the NHL. But while all of the prospect hype in New York is going to focus on No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko, Kravtsov might get a little overlooked. Do not forget he was a top-10 pick just one year ago and brings huge potential to the lineup. Adding him, Kappo and Artemi Panarin to the lineup in one offseason is a serious boost of talent. 

Pageau is one of the few players still remaining from Ottawa's improbable 2017 Eastern Conference Final run, but that only means he is probably the next veteran player to be moved this season as part of the Senators' rebuild. He will be an attractive player around the league if that happens. He is an outstanding defensive player who has enough offensive ability to make him a valuable two-way forward on a Stanley Cup contender. 

The Flyers have an intriguing mix of established veterans and promising young players on their roster. The latter group is made up of Carter Hart, Nolan Patrick, Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere, all of whom get the bulk of the attention. But Konecny is another key player in that group and tends to slide under the radar. He has played three full years in the league and has already proved to be a 25-goal, 50-point player and could still be even more given his age and talent level. He signed a six-year, $33 million contract at the start of training camp. 

The Penguins acquired Pettersson in the Daniel Sprong trade this past January, and it is already looking to be an outstanding deal. Pettersson has played his way into a top-four role and should only get better after a promising debut in Pittsburgh. He signed a cheap, one-year deal this summer, but the Penguins have big plans for him to be a significant part of their defense for the long term. He played great alongside Erik Gudbranson after the trade but could find himself next to Justin Schultz this season. 

Labanc has shown consistent improvement in each of his first three years in the NHL and looks to be on the verge of becoming a core player for the Sharks. He signed a bargain one-year contract in restricted free agency this summer and is betting on himself to have another big year offensively. If he duplicates his 17-goal, 56-point performance from this past season (or builds on it) he could be in line for a huge payday this upcoming summer. 

Four years ago Fabbri looked like he had a chance to become a core player for the Blues. He has first-line talent and has produced when healthy, but he has lost most of the past three years of his career due to injury. Since the start of the 2016-17 season, he has played in just 83 out of a possible 246 games. He is only 23 years old and still has the talent that made him such a promising prospect. He just needs to stay healthy and get the chance to show he can remain a part of the Blues' long-term plans. 

As if the Lightning needed another outstanding young forward, but they found one. Cirelli burst onto the scene during the 2018-19 season with an outstanding rookie year that saw him score 19 goals in 82 games and finish in the top 11 of both the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) and Selke Trophy (best defensive forward) voting. He is still only 22 years old, plays an advanced defensive game for his age and has 20-25 goal ability. He is part of the embarrassment of riches the Lightning have at forward. 

The key player acquired in the Phil Kessel trade four years ago, Kapanen finally had a chance to shine during the 2018-19 season and did not disappoint. He scored 20 goals in what would be a breakout season offensively and earned himself a three-year contract worth more than $9 million. He is not on the same level as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner or William Nylander, but he is in the next tier of core Maple Leafs players. 

He is probably the third best player on the team, so it might seem weird to make the argument for him being under the radar. But he kind of is, at least when compared to the other two young stars on this team in Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. Horvat may not be on their level as franchise players, but he has developed into a really good first-line player who will give the Canucks 25 goals and at least 50 points every year. 

Part of the Golden Knights' expansion draft haul from the Minnesota Wild, Tuch has quickly become one of the team's top forwards. He doesn't get the same attention as William Karlsson, Jon Marchessault, Max Pacioretty or Mark Stone, but he was one of the team's top scorers a year ago and should just now be entering his peak years in the league. 

Vrana may not be a star, but he is turning into an outstanding first-line player for the Capitals. He is still only 23 years old and is coming off a 23-goal season. He very well could turn out to be what the Capitals hoped that Andre Burakovsky would become. 

Morrissey isn't the biggest name on the Jets roster, but they did sign him to an eight-year, $50 million contract extension before the season. A first-round pick by the team in 2013 (No. 13 overall), he has shown steady improvement each year he has been in the league and is going to be counted on to play a huge role this season following the offseason departures of Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot.