William Nylander disrespected in recent hockey poll

In 44.6% of the votes, fans voted for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers, this year's most underrated player, receiving 555 of the 1242 votes from the survey. Following Nugent-Hopkins was Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz and Florida Panthers offseason acquisition Matthew Tkachuk. Hintz received 316 votes, and Tkachuk amounted to 201 votes. The remainder of the votes went to the category of other, which includes who I think to be one of the most underrated players this year, Maple Leafs forward William Nylander.

The best way to compare these players (with the addition of Nylander) is through their production and what it costs. A fair argument can be made for Nugent-Hopkins, who is on a tear this year with 45 points through 38 games played and earns an annual value of (AAV) $5.125 million a year. Given that he does not play alongside McDavid or Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins has found a way to consistently produce on the second line, well over his value at just over $5 million a year.

Hintz, who recently signed an extension, is signed for eight more years with an AAV of $8.45 million. He currently sits with a respectable 42 points in 37 games. However, he has the privilege to play with superstar Jason Robertson and the still-lethal Joe Pavelski on the first line, who contribute to his production. You then have the third vote in Tkachuk, who has amounted to an impressive 43 points in 35 games. Tkachuk plays with the outstanding Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe on the first line, who are bound to help produce game-by-game. Tkachuk has an AAV of $9.5 million, an expensive player to add to a roster and not one I'd consider being "underrated".

Now, in comparison to this list of players, Nylander should be slotted into conversations with them. Nylander is signed to a six-year deal worth $45 million with an AAV of $6.962 million. Currently, he is on pace for a career year, already surpassing the 20-goal plateau just 37 games into the season. Nylander sits with 42 points and has shown improvements in all aspects of his game. When he first signed the contract in 2018, Nylander was heavily criticized as an overpayment that couldn't produce consistently. Now on the second line, he is producing better than a point-per-game scorer. He has amounted to just as many points as the others listed above but for $2-4 million less yearly.

The bottom line is Nylander's contract looks fabulous, he's producing at the rate of a player earning much more than he does. If the underrated conversation is to be held, Nylander deserves to be included. Not only does he deserve to be included - he should be among the top names.