We have come to the point of the summer where most major hockey networks or outlets have been releasing their top players at every position list, and in some cases, just to players in the NHL lists. They have always been used as a source to get more clicks, and there are usually some outlandish takes to get people talking about it more. That usually takes place via social media.

However, there was one common area that I had kept my eye on while these lists came out, specifically when it has come to the defencemen. MacKenzie Weegar has been left off virtually every list that has been put out. While yes, I am the world’s biggest Weegar fan and I may be a bit biased when it comes to him and how good he is, it is hard to believe that he has been snubbed time after time from the hockey world that doesn’t watch him play every night with the Calgary Flames.

Like Jaccob Slavin before him—who is now getting the league-wide love for being fantastic—Weegar has become the league’s most underappreciated player, and I will tell you why.

Weegar has been dominant his entire career

Since becoming a staple in the NHL way back when, before he became a Flame, Weegar really did become the backbone of the Florida Panthers’ defence before he was traded. The former seventh-round pick really came into his own during the 2020–21 COVID-shortened season. His breakout campaign had him scoring eight goals and 36 points in just 54 games while being the team’s number one defenceman while playing alongside Aaron Ekblad, who missed 21 games due to injury that year.

He only got better the next year, and the Panthers then cashed in on that, using him as one of the key pieces to land Matthew Tkachuk in the summer of 2022.

Weegar’s move to Calgary

Once Weegar got to Calgary, he has only gotten better every year since. His first year was a defensive masterclass as he played the role of shutdown alongside Chris Tanev. His offensive game struggled in the first half but came alive in the second half, he then took that to the World Championships in 2023 where he not only won a gold medal, but he was awarded defencemen of the tournament.

Weegar’s second year in Calgary saw him smash every offensive number he had set before, scoring 20 goals and 52 points while also blocking over 200 shots. He was the first player in NHL history to reach that feat. This past year might have been Weegar’s best. His goal total and point totals dipped, but he was the best two-way version of himself that he has ever been. He scored 44 points while also being a +18 on a team that had a -16 goal differential last year. That is not to mention he played a majority of the year with a guy they claimed off waivers in Joel Hanley.

Same list but with defencemen. No surprise who ends up at #1 in terms of Most Stuff Done per 60: https://t.co/KHKjHEYgQt pic.twitter.com/9LH3M3i5Iz

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) May 5, 2025

As you can see here, Weegar was doing just about everything you could have asked him to do. He was impacting the game at an elite level both on the offensive side of the puck and the defensive side. It was such a dominant season, there weren’t many games where I thought, “wow, Weegar is not having a great game.” He was on it all the time, and I think you can make the argument that he was the team’s best skater last season.

How has Weegar become underrated?

I don’t entirely know why Weegar isn’t regarded as one of the league’s best defencemen by many people. His last couple of years with the Panthers had many people saying he was a top 10 defencemen in hockey, but after coming to Calgary, it seems like that tune has changed. Maybe it is people not watching the Flames enough or them not getting a ton of national coverage, but he has been better than he has ever been since becoming a Flame.

He has had the most defensive zone starts of any Flames defencemen since 2022, and he’s had some of the best on-ice impacts of all of them since becoming a Flame. It is probably due to the game he plays, which isn’t flashy, but he does everything in such an effective manner that sometimes you forget he’s even out there, which for a defencemen is a good thing.

He really just may need a big break to really get the attention of the national media. Could that be if he makes the Olympic team in early 2026, where he can really show what he can do? Who knows, but I feel like that could really raise his stock league-wide if he does. Heck, he didn’t get a single Norris vote this past season, which I found to be a little insane for the season he put together.

Flying under the radar could be a good thing

All of us Flames fans know how good Weegar is. His on-ice play plus his leadership have made him a fan favourite and probably have him as a shoo-in for the next captain of the Flames when the time comes.

As much as we all want Weegar to become a household name in hockey, sometimes being the guy that is always the underrated one could be a good thing. I’m not saying the pressure of being regarded as one of the league’s best players by national media would affect Weegar and his play in any way; however, it is a little fun knowing how good he is while the rest sleep on him.

Weegar will once again carry the load of the Flames’ defence this upcoming season, and maybe if the Flames can reach the playoffs this year, he can put the league on notice with some national coverage to show how dominant he can be. But at this point, I am sure that he has become such an underrated commodity, and that is league-wide.

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