from John Matisz of The Score,

The NHL season has passed its midway point, and lost in the sea of first-half surprises and disappointments is one player who always seems to be hiding in plain sight, both on the ice and in our minds.

That player is Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets.

In Manitoba, where they know him best, Connor is celebrated as a superstar. Elsewhere, the 26-year-old's exploits tend to be overlooked. Connor has scored the sixth-most goals since 2017-18 - his first full NHL season - but you'd probably be surprised to see his name among hockey's elite offensive dynamos.

Consider this: Connor's 197 goals in that span are 19 behind David Pastrnak, 17 ahead of Nathan MacKinnon, and 19 ahead of Steven Stamkos. From a name-recognition standpoint, Connor is the relative nobody of that group of snipers.

This season, Connor has 53 points in 44 games, tying him for 10th in league scoring. Winnipeg's coaching staff relies on him for 20 minutes a night, three of which are spent on the right flank of the top power-play unit.

"Hey, maybe it's a good thing. Maybe teams are taking him and us lighter than they should be," Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey said. "He's a fantastic player. And it's not just the last couple of years, right? He's been doing this for a while. Maybe we'll try to keep him under the radar."

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