Carolina Hurricanes: 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.

In this piece, we will be focusing on the Carolina Hurricanes. Although these two players are not stars like Sebastian Aho, Jaccob Slavin and Andrei Svechnikov, they both provide many different elements with their play. 

Jordan Martinook LW: Jordan Martinook is an important piece of the Hurricanes, as he is one of their alternate captains. Yet, it does not seem that he gets as much attention from opposing fans as he should. He provides decent depth scoring in the bottom-six, while also playing a very physical game. In 44 games this past season, he scored four goals and recorded 13 points. He also is a mainstay on their penalty kill because of his tenacity and hard work ethic. 

Brendan Smith D/LW: Brendan Smith could end up being a nice signing for the Hurricanes. He is primarily a defenseman, but he also is capable of playing on the wing if needed. Therefore, he could provide the Hurricanes with multiple options when injuries occur. In 48 games this past season, the 32-year-old scored five goals and had 10 points. He also plays with a real edge, as evidenced by his 73 penalty minutes on the season. Overall, he's capable of providing a bit of everything, so he deserves a chance in the limelight.

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