With NHL training camps opening later this month, hockey fans are starting to focus on their favorite team’s chances for improvement in the coming season.
Most of the attention will be on established superstars in their prime such as the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews. Fans will also be keen to see if older stars such as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin can maintain their high level of performance.
Each team also has players who tend to be overshadowed by their better-known teammates. Some, however, could be poised to raise their profiles in 2022-23. One example would be Los Angeles Kings forward Trevor Moore, whose two-way skills made him an invaluable part of his club’s improvement last season.
There are underrated players every fan should know heading into the coming NHL season. Trevor Moore from the Los Angeles Kings is one of them
The Kings exceeded expectations last season, as the rebuilding club reached the playoffs for the first time in four years. Among the reasons for their improvement was the strong two-way play of Trevor Moore.
Yet another undrafted forward on our list, the 27-year-old Moore began his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining the Kings in the trade that sent Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford to the Leafs. After showing some promise with 23 points in 56 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, he had 48 points in 81 games in 2021-22.
Skating at left wing on the Kings’ second line with Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson, Moore saw more playing time and responsibilities last season. He finished fifth in points and takeaways (30) among Kings skaters and saw action on their power-play and penalty-killing units.
Moore also proved an opportunistic scorer on the penalty kill. He led the Kings with five goals and six points in shorthanded situations and tied for the league lead with the Ottawa Senators’ Alex Formenton in both categories.
