Well what a slow week it’s been here at BLH. With the site’s servers going all wonky and not a whole lot going on in the Oilogosphere worth writing about, weeks like this are bound to happen. But I think we should kick start your heart with a bit of NHL All-Star speculation!
Whilst the game isn’t until January 31st I still find it fun to pontificate on who might be selected to this year’s rosters and given the changes that will take place this year, it’s bound to be a ridiculously entertaining affair. A three-on-three tourney between the divisions with a million bucks on the line is just what the doctor ordered!
So the selection process goes as follows, fans will get to vote for each division’s captain. From there the NHL’s hockey operations department will fill out the rest of the roster. Every team must be represented.
Without further ado, let’s get stuck in!
ATLANTIC DIVISION
- Steve Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning
- David Krejci – Boston Bruins
- Henrik Zetterberg – Detroit Red Wings
- Jaromir Jagr – Florida Panthers
- Ryan O’Reilly – Buffalo Sabres
- Max Pacioretty – Montreal Canadiens
- PK Subban – Montreal Canadiens
- Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators
- Morgan Rielly – Toronto Maple Leafs
- Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens
- Ben Bishop – Tampa Bay Lightning
Jack Eichel simply hasn’t done enough to get an invite and I’m torn between Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk out of Detroit. A super longshot might be James Reimer because if he can continue to play like he is now, he most definitely should be on this roster. And yes, old man Jagr is going to make the cut!
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
- John Tavares – New York Islanders
- Alexander Ovechkin – Washington Capitals
- Evgeni Malkin – Pittsburgh Penguins
- Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers
- Brandon Saad – Columbus Blue Jackets
- Mike Cammalleri – New Jersey Devils
- Justin Faulk – Carolina Hurricanes
- John Carlson – Washington Capitals
- Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins
- Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
- Braden Holtby – Washington Capitals
No Crosby this year which will be kind of odd. Kuznetsov is having a breakout campaign as well. I took the most entertaining guy out of Columbus in Saad. I guess it couldn’t been any one of Johansen, Hartnell, Jenner or Saad but I think Saad would be more suited to the 3v3 format. If I had my way there wouldn’t be one New Jersey Devil or Carolina Hurricane on the team. They are simply no players good enough on either team for the All-Star game.
CENTRAL DIVISION
- Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
- Jamie Benn – Dallas Stars
- Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars
- Nathan MacKinnon – Colorado Avalanche
- Vladdy Tarasenko – St.Louis Blues
- Blake Wheeler – Winnipeg Jets
- John Klingberg – Dallas Stars
- Ryan Suter – Minnesota Wild
- Roman Josi – Nashville Predators
- Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators
- Devan Dubnyk – Minnesota Wild
No Toews, Panarin, Keith or Crawford which is a shame. Dubnyk is quietly having another good season for Minnesota and just to rub it into Oilers fans and former management types… He’ll add All-Star to Vezina finalist since leaving Edmonton.
PACIFIC DIVISION
- Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames
- Daniel Sedin – Vancouver Canucks
- Henrik Sedin – Vancouver Canucks
- Ryan Getzlaf – Anaheim Ducks
- Taylor Hall – Edmonton Oilers
- Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers
- Brent Burns – San Jose Sharks
- Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Arizona Coyotes
- Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles Kings
- Martin Jones – San Jose Sharks
That’s right! Connor McDavid will be an All-Star this season. The NHL has already lost mega bucks on this collar bone injury and you can be damned sure there not going to miss out on this opportunity. He’ll be back a few weeks prior to the event, so there’s no worries there. I only picked Getzlaf because I think he’s coming around and there’s nobody else on the Ducks I find worthy of playing in the annual game of shinny.
Do you like my selections? Who would you pick? Let me know in the comments below!
Have a great day!
BLH