The NHL announced on Thursday which players would be part of All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada next month. While there were plenty of players that were easy choices, some selections are a bit more noteworthy.
To begin, the Atlantic Division features one of the biggest surprises to me, and that is the exclusion of Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. The Bruins’ captain, Patrice Bergeron, was chosen instead, despite the fact that Marchand is a top ten point producer in the NHL this season.
By no means does Bergeron not deserve recognition, as he has scored often and dominated in the faceoff circle this year for Boston, winning 63.77% of his draws (first in the league by almost two percent). However, Marchand has 19 goals (tied for ninth in the NHL) and 41 points (seventh in the NHL).
What shocked me the most here, is that Marchand does not even have the chance to get in as one of the NHL’s “Last Men In.” To suggest that he has been, at best, the third best player for the Bruins this season feels like a gross underestimation.
One player that will represent the Atlantic is goaltender Jack Campbell of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Campbell has posted an 18-5-3 record to go with a 2.02 goals against average and a .935 save percentage. Both figures are easily career highs.
Not that Campbell hasn’t gotten credit throughout the season, but this selection was one that I had hoped to see. There are few netminders in the NHL this season that deserve more recognition than Jack Campbell, making this selection very appropriate.
In the Metropolitan Division, I think that all of the selections are good choices, but there is one that I am especially happy to see make the list, and that is Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers. Kreider has had such a strong season, especially on the power play, but he’s not the flashiest name on that roster.
The new wave of talent for the Rangers features award winners, free agent signings, and high draft picks, yet Kreider has stayed the course and is being rewarded with one of his better seasons in recent memory. It’s good to see him get this recognition.
Out of all of the NHL’s surprise selections, a snub was the most notable.
Flipping to the Western Conference, I was absolutely stunned to see that in the Central Division, Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri was left off the list. Kadri, who is on the “Last Men In” ballot, saw two of his teammates chosen over him to participate in the NHL’s festivities.
His season, however, has been stellar, leading the Avs in points with 48, which is eight more than the next closest Colorado skater. His point total puts him at fourth in the NHL, and his 1.60 points per game output is second, trailing the league lead by only 0.01 points.
I was extremely happy, though, to see that St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou was selected as his team’s representative. Kyrou put on a show in the Winter Classic, and he is tied for the team lead in goals (14) while leading the Blues in points (37).
Finally, in the Pacific, the Seattle Kraken will be sending Jordan Eberle to the NHL All-Star Game, as he leads the team with 24 points. It’s by no means a bad choice, but I feel that Jared McCann would have been the better selection. McCann’s 15 goals lead Seattle and put him in a tie for a top 25 spot in the NHL.
Yes, there are some snubs and surprises, as is always the case, but this group of All-Stars is sure to make for some entertaining action in Vegas. The NHL All-Star Weekend will be held February 4-5 at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.