Is Kopitar the most underrated player?

[Telos]

I would say, as a Kings fan, he was a little underrated throughout his career by fans and media, but he wasn't really underrated by players and coaching staff, he was always amongst the top players voted as hardest to play against by the players because he almost always does everything perfectly on both ends of the ice in all situations and never cheats or takes a penalty. While not overly physical, he leverages his size well and has excellent durability too.

Kings fans sometimes forgets how good we have it because he has been so steady and consistent throughout his career and whenever he falls off or retires we will likely face a bit of a reckoning with that realization all over again because it is impossible to ask of any other prospect or player to fill Kopitar's shoes.

In the end though, it is hard to completely underate or dismiss a first ballot hall of famer like Kopi.

 

[Felidae]

I think we just had a poll a month ago in which Kopitar beat prime Kane. I would say he's definitely not overrated on here.

Nah, Kane has the lead in that poll.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Nah, Kane has the lead in that poll.

Ah you're right. The results were almost dead even when I voted, it's swung totally in Kane's favor (as it should have imo).

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Ah you're right. The results were almost dead even when I voted, it's swung totally in Kane's favor (as it should have imo).

you must have been the 2nd vote because it's been a Kane AINEC nearly the whole time

 

[HockeyVirus]

If the measurement is how much he is talked about vs how good he is then the answer is McCabe.

 

[BigKing]

He wasn't properly appreciated until the Kings started to actually be relevant in 2012. By June of 2014, Gretzky is on HNIC saying he is the 3rd best player in the world behind Crosby and Toews.

Then the Kings missed the playoffs, lost in the first round, and then missed again. He then has his career year and the Hart nomination only to have the Kings then become irrelevant for quite some time so he wasn't talked about.

Now he's getting love simply because he's still chugging along after all this time and still producing. He does everything slower now and it helps him immensely to have Kempe on his wing as an argument can be made that the last couple years of Kempe represent the best wing play of Kopitar's career, which is wild since it is so late in his career.

He's simply a hockey machine that the Kings have been able to wind up and put out there for 19 seasons. As far as underrated, his rating has fluctuated through the years and it's on the upswing right now since he is pacing to put up another 70 points at 37 years old.

If it makes sense, he's more underappreciated than underrated and a lot of that is due to playing the majority of his career either when most NHL viewers are asleep, the Kings are irrelevant, or both.

 

[teugen]

I think he's vastly underrated. Who beat Kopitar for the Calder in his rookie season? Malkin. To me that was criminal.

Do folks consider Malkin and Kopitar at the same level or Kopitar better? If you think Malkin is a notch better... that makes Kopitar underrated.

Naah, I take Kopi over Malkin any day. Like I said we don't talk about him enough, but any time somebody mentions his name around here, you rarely hear any bad words, its actually the opposite what I've seen.

 

[jaywills1020]

Great player, but not near the top, probably rated about right by most. Where do you think he’s rated, suggesting that he’s underrated?

I’d say he’s one of the top “complete players” and has been his whole career.