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The 5 Most Underrated Detroit Red Wings in 2015-2016

By John Curran

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Apr 2, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Drew Miller (20) waits for the face off during the third period against the Boston Bruins at Joe Louis Arena. Boston won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

#1: Drew Miller

As soon as I made my list of the five most underrated Detroit Red Wings, I pretty much instantly knew who I’d choose to be at the #1 spot. In the previous slide I stated that Luke Glendening is not “underrated” in the eyes of most Detroit fans, and neither is Drew Miller. Like Glendening, Drew Miller is not given the full respect and coverage he deserves.

Sure, most hockey fans know about Drew’s brother Ryan, but those same fans probably aren’t aware of the contributions and effort that Drew provides to the Detroit Red Wings. Drew is one of the most, if not THE most, unsung fourth-line/penalty killers in the entire NHL today. Drew is not the high-paid player who is going to score the pretty goals that you’ll see replayed on the NHL Network every season, instead he’s the type of player that’s going to give a complete, gritty, heartfelt effort every shift he takes. Why? Because Drew Miller loves to play the game of hockey.

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Last season is a perfect example of why Drew Miller is the most underrated Detroit Red Wing. Drew led all NHL forwards last season in blocked shots with 99, which also was a personal career high. The 99 blocked shots was also the highest amount blocked by an NHL forward in a single-season during the last seven years. Miller has also led all Red Wings in shots blocked for five straight seasons.

You cant mention Drew Miller’s 2014-2015 season without bringing up the sixty-odd stitches he received after taking an accidental skate to the face during a game in January against the Ottawa Senators. In a testament to both Miller’s and hockey player’s toughness, he played in the very next game only two days after getting stitched up.

Mike Babcock perfectly summed up the importance of Drew Miller to the Detroit Red Wings by saying the following shortly after Miller took the skate to the face.

"“Lots of people talk about team building and they say ‘let’s go play laser tag or let’s go bowling or do some ropes course. How about block a shot? How about get your face cut and then play the next night? That’s team building to me. That’s putting it on the line for your buddies. I think Millsie feels good about himself for doing that, but also that’s what you do.”"

And to me, that quote perfectly describes why Drew Miller is the #1 underrated player on the Detroit Red Wings.

Next: Predicting The Red Wings' 2015-16 Forward Pairings

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