Pittsburgh Penguins: Phil Kessel is the Most Underrated Player

Phil Kessel of the Pittsburgh Penguins is underrated. I think this is a known fact.

I’ve written about this before and mentioned it here and there. Phil Kessel is underrated. This can usually be seen as a good thing for the Pittsburgh Penguins because he’s the underdog who can rise to most occasions. However, it also means he can get snubbed every once in a while, and it’s just not fair.

So the NHL released the All-Star rosters, and I’ve been preaching all season that Phil Kessel will be a lock for the game. After all, he’s literally among the best players in the league, ranking 11th in points in the whole league. He also leads the Penguins in both goals and assists. He’s clearly the Penguins best player and there shouldn’t be any debate about it.

Well, the league may have something different to say.

The Snub of All Snubs

Sam Campbell already ranted about this snub today, so I won’t go on too much. But man the league really screwed Kessel over badly.

Pittsburgh Penguins

I understand the addition of Crosby to the roster, who would be the second best choice from the Penguins to participate in the game. He is also a league leader in points this season and ranks second on the Pens in points.

However, Letang? If the league decided they’ll pick a second Penguin for the team, why would they think to skip the team leader in points and choose Letang, whose defence has been subpar this season?

Maybe they chose Crosby first and realized they needed an extra defenceman from the division, not a forward. Nevertheless, it was a horrible snub.

Underrated as Always

Kessel was always underrated. Remember when he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and he was picked last in the All-Star Game draft? Traded away by Toronto because they wanted to rebuild too. We were glad to take him off their hands.

Well I guess these things will never change. Kessel got snubbed because there were bigger names out there. The NHL couldn’t bare to see an All-Star Game where Phil Kessel made it but Sidney Crosby didn’t. I’m not complaining here that two bright Penguins made the roster. I’m just complaining that one amazing, team-leading Penguin didn’t. If the league wants to truly evolve, they should start praising more players rather than the same few.