Calgary Flames: 2 Underrated Players To Watch

The NHL has so many underrated players who deserve far more recognition. In this segment, we will be discussing two from every team in the league. Their overall roles and abilities may differ, but they all share the common theme that they are not as respected as they ought to be.

For full transparency, two teams will be randomly picked from a wheel each day. The winners will then be discussed.

In today's second piece, we will be looking at the Calgary Flames. These two players certainly could be classified as underrated. One is a veteran forward who has spent his entire career with the team. The other is a younger forward who could be a long-term part of the club.

Mikael Backlund C: Mikael Backlund may not be an elite player, but he is a very solid two-way center in this league. In 54 games this past season, he scored nine goals and recorded 32 points. During a full 82-game schedule, the 32-year-old center consistently puts up 45 to 50 points per season. His loyalty to Calgary is also high, as he has played a total of 744 games for them over his 13-year career. His ability to be used on both the power play and penalty kill makes him extremely useful. He simply warrants more respect from opposing fans who do not get to watch him often.

Andrew Mangiapane LW: Andrew Mangiapane is continuing to improve with each year that passes. This past season he tied his career-high of 32 points, but played 12 less games. In the 56 games he played this past season, he also scored 18 goals. Therefore, over a full NHL season, he should be able to hit the 25-goal plateau. A lot of hockey fans may not realize how much better Mangiapane has gotten. He also is still just 25 years old, so he could get even better from here.