We have reached the point of summer, where most major hockey networks or points of sale have released their top players on every position list, and in some cases only to players in the NHL lists. They are always used as a source to get more clicks, and there are usually some bizarre takes to let people talk more about it. That usually takes place via social media.
However, there was one common area that I had monitored while these lists came out, specifically when it came to the defenders. Mackenzie Weegar has been left almost every list. Although 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 chased time and time again from the hockey world that does not see him play with the Calgary flames every night.
Just like Jaccob Slavin for him who now gets the competition-wide love because he is fantastic is Zeegar the most undervalued player of the competition, and I will tell you why.
Weegar has been dominant all his career
Since he was a staple in the NHL long ago when, before he became a flame, Weegar really became the backbone of the defense of the Florida Panthers before being traded. The former pick of the seventh round really came into its own during the Covid-Shorted season of 2020-21. His breakout campaign let him score eight goals and 36 points in just 54 games, while he was the number one defender of the team while he played alongside Aaron Ekblad, who missed 21 games that year due to an injury.
He only got better the following year, and the Panthers then made up, with the help of him as one of the most important pieces to land Matthew Tkachuk in the summer of 2022.
Weegar’s move to Calgary
As soon as Weegar has arrived in Calgary, he has only improved every year since then. His first year was a defensive master class when he played the role of closing alongside Chris Tanev. His attacking match struggled in the first half, but came to life in the second half, he then brought it to the world championships in 2023, where he not only won a gold medal, but he received defenders from the tournament.
The second year of Weegar in Calgary saw him every attacking number he had set before, score 20 goals and score 52 points while blocking more than 200 shots. He was the first player in the NHL history who achieved that performance. Last year was the best thing about Weegar. His target total and pointed totals fell, but he was the best two -way version of himself that he has ever been. He scored 44 points and was also a +18 in a team that had a -16 target difference last year. Not to forget that he played most of the year with a man they claim from a distance in Joel Hanley.
The same list with defenders. No surprise that ends at #1 in terms of most things that have been done per 60: https://t.co/khkjheygqt pic.twitter.com/9lh3m3i5iz
– JFresh (@jfresh hockey) May 5, 2025
As you can see here, Weegar did just about everything you could have asked him. He influenced the game at an elite level, both on the attacking side of the Puck and the defensive side. It was such a dominant season, there were not many games where I thought, “Wow, Weegar has no great game.” He was always over and I think you can put on the argument that he was the best skater in the team last season.
How is Weegar underestimated?
I don’t know why Weegar is not considered one of the best defenders of the competition by many people. His last few years at the Panthers had many people who said he was a top 10 defenders in hockey, but after coming to Calgary it seems that that tune has changed. Perhaps it is people who don’t see the flames enough or that they don’t get a lot of national coverage, but he has been better than he has ever been since he became a flame.
Since 2022 he has had the most defensive zone-star of Flames defenders, and he has had some of the best effects on the ice of all since he became a flame. It is probably due to the game he plays, which is not flashy, but he does everything in such an effective way that you sometimes forget that he is even there, which is a good thing for defenders.
He may need a big break to really get the attention of the national media. Could that be if he made the Olympic team at the beginning of 2026, where he can really show what he can do? Who knows, but I think that can increase his Stock League-wide if he does. Heck, he didn’t get a single Norris mood last season, which I thought a bit crazy for the season he put together.
Flying under the radar can be a good thing
We all know that fans know how good Weegar is. His game on the ice plus his leadership has made him a fan of a fan and probably have him as a shoo-in for the next captain of the flames when time comes.
How much we all want Weegar to become a household name in hockey, sometimes it can be a good thing to be the man who is always underestimated. I am not saying that the pressure to be considered one of the best players of the competition by National Media as one of the best players, Zeegar and his play in any way; However, it is a bit nice to know how good he is while the rest is sleeping on him.
This next season, Weegar will again bear the load of the defense of the Flames, and perhaps if the flames can reach the play -offs this year, he can inform the competition with a national coverage to show how dominant he can be. But at the moment I am sure that he has become such an underrated goods, and that is the competition.
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