The “Worst” Guy on Your Team Is Better Than Almost Anyone Else

Here’s a phrase I read recently in the discussion section of a hockey post. Fans throw the idea around without really thinking about it: “he’s one of the worst players in the league.” It sounds pretty reasonable on the surface. Every roster’s got a guy fighting for the last spot; every camp has someone who might get sent down. But every so often, it’s worth stopping and actually thinking about what that sentence means.

Because the worst player in the NHL is still an incredible hockey player.

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Thinking About the 2026-27 NHL Regular Season

As the new season gets going, fans are going to spend a lot of time deciding who’s good, who’s not good enough, and who maybe doesn’t belong. That’s just part of being a fan. A defenceman misses an assignment, and somebody wonders how he even made the league. A forward whiffs on a shot and gets roasted. A goalie lets in a soft one, and suddenly he’s the punching bag of the night.

That’s the game we play as fans. But here’s the thing worth remembering: the guy we’re ripping into is still one of the best hockey players on the planet. There are thousands and thousands of genuinely talented players out there who’d trade almost anything for that guy’s career. These guys tore it up in junior, in college, in the minors, and were probably the best player on their team at every level they played. And then they got to the NHL, where that’s not even close to good enough to guarantee anything.

There’s a Huge Gap Between Elite and Depth Hockey Players

What makes pro sports so interesting is that the gaps at the very top can be enormous even when everyone involved is elite. A superstar might be miles better than the guy grinding out 12 minutes a night on the fourth line. That doesn’t make the fourth-liner bad. It just means the superstar is operating on a completely different level.

When the Maple Leafs and every other NHL team hit the ice this season, we’re going to be watching an absurd collection of talent. Some guys are faster, some stronger, some smarter, some just have better hands. But nearly everyone wearing an NHL sweater has spent an entire lifetime becoming exceptional at this game.

That’s easy to forget from the couch when somebody botches a pass.

The Neat Thing About Starting a New NHL Season

One of the best things about a new season is getting another chance to watch the world’s best players do what they do. So when someone makes a brutal mistake on the ice, it’s worth remembering that they’re still probably better at hockey than anyone most of us have ever met.

That’s a pretty remarkable thing to watch night after night. NHL hockey fans are incredibly lucky to watch this fast, physical, and skilled sport, where a hard rubber object sometimes seems to have a mind of its own. There’s nothing much like it.

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