Generally speaking, scoring mass amounts of goals will thrust you into superstardom, but for whatever reason, that hasn't been the case for Wayne Simmonds.
The Philadelphia Flyers winger has emerged into one of the finest power forwards the NHL has to offer. He's finding the back of the net at an elite rate, yet no one seems to bat an eye.
Counting Tuesday's two markers versus the Florida Panthers - his 14th and 15th of the season - Simmonds has scored 104 goals since 2013-14. That's the 11th-highest total of all NHLers.
He's not exactly trailing a bunch of chumps, either.
| Rank* | Player | Team | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Corey Perry | Ducks | 256 | 114 |
| 7 | Max Pacioretty | Canadiens | 260 | 113 |
| 8 | Steven Stamkos | Lightning | 213 | 113 |
| 9 | Vladimir Tarasenko | Blues | 246 | 111 |
| 10 | Patrick Kane | Blackhawks | 239 | 110 |
| 11 | Wayne Simmonds | Flyers | 266 | 104 |
*Alexander Ovechkin, Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, Sidney Crosby, and Tyler Seguin rank 1-5.
In three previous seasons, Simmonds notched 29, 28, and a career-high 32 goals, respectively. With 15 in 28 games so far, he's well on pace to eclipse the 30-goal mark again.
Entering Tuesday, Simmonds was shooting a staggering 19.1 percent on the season. His efficiency is due to regress, but considering his above-average career shooting percentage of 14.5, it's difficult pass his production this campaign off as a mere fluke.
Simmonds' $3.975-million cap hit further illustrates how underrated he truly is, but rather than marvel at how stealthily he ranks among the league's best scorers and eases the Flyers' books, maybe it's time to recognize one of the game's finest producers.
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