2018 NHL All-Star Game: Ovechkin, McDavid among early leaders

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 12: Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) in the face-off circle during a NHL game between the Washington Capitals and the Edmonton Oilers on November 12, 2017, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C.The Capitals defeated the Oilers 2-1 in a shootout(Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 12: Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) in the face-off circle during a NHL game between the Washington Capitals and the Edmonton Oilers on November 12, 2017, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C.The Capitals defeated the Oilers 2-1 in a shootout(Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, P.K. Subban, and Steven Stamkos are your early 2018 NHL All-Star Game voting leaders. 

It’s still early in the 2018 NHL All-Star Game voting process. Voting has only been open for about a week. But so far, the four captains shouldn’t surprise anyone. There will be no “John Scott” situation in 2018.

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals leads the Metropolitan Division. That’s not surprising, for several reasons. First of all, Ovechkin’s the NHL’s rock star. He’s entertaining and lovable. Not to mention Ovechkin has provided some pricelessly hilariously moments over the years. Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, Phil Kessel, and Sergei Bobrovsky round out the top five.

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In the Atlantic Division, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is the voting leader. He’s one of the favorites to win the Art Ross. And it’s not surprising he’s in the lead since Tampa will be hosting the All-Star Game. Nikita Kucherov is closely behind his teammate. Rounding out the top five are Auston Matthews, Erik Karlsson, and Carey Price.

The Central Division could see a repeat for captain, as P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators is atop the leaderboard. Then again, is it surprising? Probably not. Subban has Nashville voting for him and probably most of Montreal as well. He’s also one of the NHL’s most popular players. Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Kane, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mark Scheifele are also in the top five.

Finally, the Pacific Division is led by none other than Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. He’s the NHL’s reigning MVP and even in an off-year, is producing highlights regularly. Johnny Gaudreau, James Neal, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Anze Kopitar are each in the top five as well.

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The NHL All-Star Game will be held on Jan. 28. So far, the fans are getting it right. Fleury is the only questionable selection, and even then, it’s not hard to see why he’s getting support. He’s beloved in two cities (Las Vegas and Pittsburgh).