Each week, we will introduce a ranking of NHL players or teams based on something different on every occasion.
One of the most interesting elements of hockey upon which the analytics movement has shined light for fans is how players are used by their coaches. We can see in black and white which line or pairing a player was most often on the ice with, how often he saw the offensive or defensive zone and against whom his coach elected to match him.
This also means that we can spot players who might be out of place. Some are slotted into roles that do not get the most out of their talents, and sometimes we can spot players about to promoted because of that performance (an important indicator for those who play fantasy hockey).
Here are 10 players who are underused and deserve a promotion from a bottom-six, bottom-pairing or backup goalie role.
Stats are courtesy of war-on-ice.com as of Nov. 15.