The Toronto Maple Leafs are hosting the events of the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. They are one of the biggest hockey markets in the world and are sure to put on a show.
Of course, they are going to be well represented when it comes to their fans attending the activities. How represented are they going to be when it comes to players? That remains to be seen.
Like it or not, the league has a policy that one player from each team has to be named. The initial 32 players (one from each team) were named on Thursday night.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, that player was Auston Matthews. He is well deserving of the All-Star nod as he leads the NHL with 30 goals. He should be north of 60 when the season is over.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have Auston Matthews at the All-Star Game
However, it wasn’t a lock that he’d be the guy because he isn’t even the Leafs’ leading scorer. That distinction belongs to William Nylander who has been incredible this year as well.
Matthews may have 30 goals but he is second on the team with 45 points. Nylander is their leading scorer with 51 points. Only Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Artemi Panarin, and David Pastrnak have more in the whole league.
There will be 12 additional players voted into the event by the fans. You can bet that Nylander will be one of them, especially with it being in Toronto. Don’t be surprised if more than one Leaf is voted in.
Who else joined Matthews in being named on Thursday night? This is the full list:
Eastern Conference
Auston Matthews - Toronto Maple Leafs
Sebastian Aho - Carolina Hurricanes
Mat Barzal - New York Islanders
Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins
Rasmus Dahlin - Buffalo Sabres
Alex DeBrincat - Detroit Red Wings
Jack Hughes - New Jersey Devils
Boone Jenner - Columbus Blue Jackets
Travis Konecny - Philadelphia Flyers
Nikita Kucherov - Tampa Bay Lightning
David Pastrnak - Boston Bruins
Sam Reinhart - Florida Panthers
Igor Shesterkin - New York Rangers
Nick Suzuki - Montreal Canadiens
Brady Tkachuk - Florida Panthers
Tom Wilson - Washington Capitals
Western Conference
Connor Bedard - Chicago Blackhawks
Oliver Bjorkstrand - Seattle Kraken
Jack Eichel - Vegas Golden Knights
Filip Forsberg - Nashville Predators
Connor Hellebuyck - Winnipeg Jets
Tomas Hertl - San Jose Sharks
Quinn Hughes - Vancouver Canucks
Kirill Kaprizov - Minnesota Wild
Clayton Keller - Arizona Coyotes
Elias Lindholm - Calgary Flames
Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche
Jake Oettinger - Dallas Stars
Connor McDavid - Edmonton Oilers
Cam Talbot - Los Angeles Kings
Robert Thomas - St. Louis Blues
Frank Vatrano - Anaheim Ducks
Do you not see your favorite player there? Be sure to vote for them to get in. There is a lot of star power already there and more will join them.
For Matthews and the Maple Leafs, this has been a decent season so far and there is another level that they can get to in terms of winning. It should be a treat to see them host the All-Star Weekend.
All of these stars are here for a reason and should be proud. Some people will be upset about the process but these are all deserving players based on the rules. It should be fun to see how the rest of the roster unfolds.