Dallas Stars Daily Links: Stars Duo Okay With Being Underrated

When Dallas Stars winger Loui Eriksson was announced as the top player on Sports Illustrated's Most Underrated NHL Players list, there was some joking about how being known as the most underrated for multiple years in a row should have made him overrated by now.

But with the list being voted on by 179 active NHL players, one has to give it a lot of weight, even when guys like Pavel Datsyuk and Claude Giroux are on it.

Eriksson was followed on the list by Jamie Benn, who might be a much bigger star now if he played in a market with more national visibility. With his combination of size, speed, strength and silky-smooth hands, how could the national media ignore him if he was in, say, Toronto?

But neither player is too off-put by being on that list.

"I don’t know. I had it last year, too. I’m just flying under the radar. I guess it’s because I’m quiet," Eriksson said. "It’s nice to have that recognition. I just play my game and try to be good and it’s working for me."

I wanted to pull a second quote from the article for two reasons. First, I think Stars coach Glen Gulutzan is spot on when he says that Benn will not be on this list for long, especially with the way he's playing. And two, this might be the only time I've seen the word "flamboyant" used to describe a Dallas player who isn't Mike Ribeiro.

"You can see Loui, for sure, but Benny is a young guy who is on that list because he is just turning 22 and he's just emerging," Gulutzan said. "Loui's got that sneaky, smart way to fly under the radar because he is so cerebral and does everything real well. But I don't think Benny will be on that list for too much longer, because Benny is a little more flamboyant, he can hit and he's a power forward. I don’t think Benny will stay on that list."

After the jump, praise for Richard Bachman's ability to fill in on short notice, a double-dose of Razor mind vitamins and even the Anaheim Ducks fans get in on the goon act.