Help me understand something here. The Vancouver Canucks resigned Trevor Linden today, for a very modest salary of $600,000 plus potential bonuses of another $200,000. The Canucks statement contains the usual blurbs about their excitement at bringing back such a critical part of their team.
But really, has there been a more consistently overrated player in the last 10 years than this guy? His first 8 years in the league, he looked like the consummate power forward, and was a huge part of the Canucks' run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. But since a knee injury in 1996-97, his productivity fell off a cliff; he hasn't scored 20 goals in a season since that time, and has usually been on the negative side of the +/- rating. Sure, he still walks and talks like a top caliber player (and served for a long time as NHLPA President), but shouldn't he behind a bench somewhere by now?
But really, has there been a more consistently overrated player in the last 10 years than this guy? His first 8 years in the league, he looked like the consummate power forward, and was a huge part of the Canucks' run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. But since a knee injury in 1996-97, his productivity fell off a cliff; he hasn't scored 20 goals in a season since that time, and has usually been on the negative side of the +/- rating. Sure, he still walks and talks like a top caliber player (and served for a long time as NHLPA President), but shouldn't he behind a bench somewhere by now?