Now that I'm not ashamed to post this anymore....
www.nytimes.com
We know exactly what all of you are thinking: “I’m really excited about the Olympics, but boy, do I wish the NHL was holding an All-Star Game instead.”
Fret not. We have you covered with this week’s edition of the Power Rankings, where we pick this year’s All-Star class. The rules follow the NHL’s from the last game: 44 players with eight goalies to create four teams of 11. Simple enough, until we had to make sure there was at least one guy from every team, which created some difficult choices. Auston Matthews? Kyle Connor? Wyatt Johnston? Who needs those guys when you can have whoever the best player from Calgary is this season!
Thank goodness for actual best-on-best hockey coming in less than a month. For today, we mourn what could’ve been with our fake All-Star Game. Here’s who we’re sending.
Sean: 1
Dom: 1
All-Stars: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Nečas, Cale Makar
Have Connor McDavid’s 20-game point streak and Macklin Celebrini’s teenage mega-leap caused MacKinnon to lose ground in the Hart Trophy race? Sure, but he’s still just one point behind the former and 10 ahead of the latter.
Nečas, meanwhile, is tied with MacKinnon and Mark Scheifele for the most even-strength points in the league since Dec. 1, with 20, and Cale Makar remains Cale Makar; his Net Rating of plus-17 is best among defensemen. A shocker, no doubt.
Sean: 2
Dom: 2
All-Stars: Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy
With the way the Lightning have played lately, they could’ve sent a number of guys. Darren Raddysh is one of the highest scoring players in the league over the last month. But a slow start for many means it’s just Kucherov and Vasilevskiy — the ol’ reliables for Tampa Bay. Those two remain the reason the Lightning are the class of the East, with Kucherov scoring 67 points in 41 games (fourth) and Vasilevskiy earning a .915 save percentage (fourth among starters).
Sean: 5
Dom: 3
All-Star: Sebastian Aho
Andrei Svechnikov’s slow start and Seth Jarvis’ since-healed injury mean that Aho is the only Hurricane to deserve real consideration. That feels weird for a division leader, but whatever. Aho is basically a point-per-game player, and his rate stats (1.1 goals per 60, 1.29) are almost identical to last season’s. That kind of consistency counts for plenty.
Sean: 3
Dom: 6
All-Star: Tage Thompson
It was really nice of Thompson to put a stamp on his fake All-Star nod with a vintage Tage performance, scoring three goals and two assists in a one-man victory over Montreal on Thursday. He’s starting to look like the dominant presence he showed to be in 2022-23 and is on pace for 45 goals and 87 points. That would be his third 40-goal season.
Sean: 6
Dom: 4
All-Stars: Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen
On the NHL’s website, you can filter stats by a player’s nationality. If that functionality magically disappears at the start of February, don’t be surprised. Yes, indeed, Robertson still leads Americans in points (56) and is tied for first place in goals (26).
Rantanen is a no-brainer as well. He’s now leading the league in power-play points (non-Edmonton Oilers division).
Sean: 4
Dom: 7
All-Star: Jack Eichel
With the second-highest average Game Score in the league, Mark Stone, in some ways, might be having the best season of any of our omissions. Alas, he’s missed 16 games. Eichel, meanwhile, is coming off consecutive three-assist nights and scored a game-winner on Thursday that made Mitch Marner very happy. That should count for two!
Vegas, by the way, has won six straight. This is after losing five straight and nine of 10.
Sean: 7
Dom: 5
All-Stars: Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Quinn Hughes
Was three All-Stars too much from Minnesota? It felt like it after a demoralizing loss to the Jets on Thursday, but it’s really tough to leave any of these three off. Kaprizov and Boldy are both top 20 in points, while Hughes sits sixth in points among defensemen. The Wild have entered the rarified air that Colorado and Edmonton usually live in: too many good players to leave off.
Sean: 8
Dom: 8
All-Stars: Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider
Remember that “sort by nationality” option we brought up regarding Robertson? It shines upon DeBrincat, too. His 24 goals this season are fourth among American players. Seider remains an absolute no-brainer. Detroit’s offensive results with him have dipped a bit lately, but that’s due to a shooting percentage of 2.6 percent (!) in the last seven games. We offer our apologies to Lucas Raymond, who popped up on our initial list of potential selections.
Sean: 9
Dom: 9
All-Stars: Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson
During the team’s rebuild, Montreal’s representatives at the All-Star Game were mostly made to appease a criteria rather than being actually earned. Not so this season for a Canadiens team that sits firmly in the league’s top 10. Nick Suzuki has been one of the league’s best centers, while Lane Hutson is proving last year was no fluke with 45 points in 47 games. This year, the Canadiens’ All-Stars have earned their fake spots.
Sean: 10
Dom: 10
All-Star: Sidney Crosby
If Crosby was in the NBA, being named to his 10th All-Star Game in 2024 would be a pretty big deal. Here, all it got was a shrug. Part of that is because the selection process doesn’t actually select the best players, rendering the accolade hollow. Still, we know Crosby isn’t getting any pity invites, and it’s incredible that even at the ripe age of 38, he’s still playing at such a high level. He’s the easy choice for Pittsburgh every time.
NHL Power Rankings: Congrats to our fake All-Stars
Actual best-on-best hockey coming in less than a month’s time. Today, we mourn what could’ve been with our picks for a fake All-Star Game.
www.nytimes.com
We know exactly what all of you are thinking: “I’m really excited about the Olympics, but boy, do I wish the NHL was holding an All-Star Game instead.”
Fret not. We have you covered with this week’s edition of the Power Rankings, where we pick this year’s All-Star class. The rules follow the NHL’s from the last game: 44 players with eight goalies to create four teams of 11. Simple enough, until we had to make sure there was at least one guy from every team, which created some difficult choices. Auston Matthews? Kyle Connor? Wyatt Johnston? Who needs those guys when you can have whoever the best player from Calgary is this season!
Thank goodness for actual best-on-best hockey coming in less than a month. For today, we mourn what could’ve been with our fake All-Star Game. Here’s who we’re sending.
1. Colorado Avalanche, 33-4-8
Last week: 1Sean: 1
Dom: 1
All-Stars: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Nečas, Cale Makar
Have Connor McDavid’s 20-game point streak and Macklin Celebrini’s teenage mega-leap caused MacKinnon to lose ground in the Hart Trophy race? Sure, but he’s still just one point behind the former and 10 ahead of the latter.
Nečas, meanwhile, is tied with MacKinnon and Mark Scheifele for the most even-strength points in the league since Dec. 1, with 20, and Cale Makar remains Cale Makar; his Net Rating of plus-17 is best among defensemen. A shocker, no doubt.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning, 29-13-3
Last week: 2Sean: 2
Dom: 2
All-Stars: Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy
With the way the Lightning have played lately, they could’ve sent a number of guys. Darren Raddysh is one of the highest scoring players in the league over the last month. But a slow start for many means it’s just Kucherov and Vasilevskiy — the ol’ reliables for Tampa Bay. Those two remain the reason the Lightning are the class of the East, with Kucherov scoring 67 points in 41 games (fourth) and Vasilevskiy earning a .915 save percentage (fourth among starters).
3. Carolina Hurricanes, 28-15-4
Last week: 5Sean: 5
Dom: 3
All-Star: Sebastian Aho
Andrei Svechnikov’s slow start and Seth Jarvis’ since-healed injury mean that Aho is the only Hurricane to deserve real consideration. That feels weird for a division leader, but whatever. Aho is basically a point-per-game player, and his rate stats (1.1 goals per 60, 1.29) are almost identical to last season’s. That kind of consistency counts for plenty.
4. Buffalo Sabres, 26-16-4
Last week: 10Sean: 3
Dom: 6
All-Star: Tage Thompson
It was really nice of Thompson to put a stamp on his fake All-Star nod with a vintage Tage performance, scoring three goals and two assists in a one-man victory over Montreal on Thursday. He’s starting to look like the dominant presence he showed to be in 2022-23 and is on pace for 45 goals and 87 points. That would be his third 40-goal season.
5. Dallas Stars, 27-12-9
Last week: 3Sean: 6
Dom: 4
All-Stars: Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen
On the NHL’s website, you can filter stats by a player’s nationality. If that functionality magically disappears at the start of February, don’t be surprised. Yes, indeed, Robertson still leads Americans in points (56) and is tied for first place in goals (26).
Rantanen is a no-brainer as well. He’s now leading the league in power-play points (non-Edmonton Oilers division).
6. Vegas Golden Knights, 23-11-12
Last week: 11Sean: 4
Dom: 7
All-Star: Jack Eichel
With the second-highest average Game Score in the league, Mark Stone, in some ways, might be having the best season of any of our omissions. Alas, he’s missed 16 games. Eichel, meanwhile, is coming off consecutive three-assist nights and scored a game-winner on Thursday that made Mitch Marner very happy. That should count for two!
Vegas, by the way, has won six straight. This is after losing five straight and nine of 10.
7. Minnesota Wild, 26-13-9
Last week: 4Sean: 7
Dom: 5
All-Stars: Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Quinn Hughes
Was three All-Stars too much from Minnesota? It felt like it after a demoralizing loss to the Jets on Thursday, but it’s really tough to leave any of these three off. Kaprizov and Boldy are both top 20 in points, while Hughes sits sixth in points among defensemen. The Wild have entered the rarified air that Colorado and Edmonton usually live in: too many good players to leave off.
8. Detroit Red Wings, 28-16-4
Last week: 7Sean: 8
Dom: 8
All-Stars: Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider
Remember that “sort by nationality” option we brought up regarding Robertson? It shines upon DeBrincat, too. His 24 goals this season are fourth among American players. Seider remains an absolute no-brainer. Detroit’s offensive results with him have dipped a bit lately, but that’s due to a shooting percentage of 2.6 percent (!) in the last seven games. We offer our apologies to Lucas Raymond, who popped up on our initial list of potential selections.
9. Montreal Canadiens, 26-15-7
Last week: 6Sean: 9
Dom: 9
All-Stars: Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson
During the team’s rebuild, Montreal’s representatives at the All-Star Game were mostly made to appease a criteria rather than being actually earned. Not so this season for a Canadiens team that sits firmly in the league’s top 10. Nick Suzuki has been one of the league’s best centers, while Lane Hutson is proving last year was no fluke with 45 points in 47 games. This year, the Canadiens’ All-Stars have earned their fake spots.
10. Pittsburgh Penguins, 22-14-10
Last week: 8Sean: 10
Dom: 10
All-Star: Sidney Crosby
If Crosby was in the NBA, being named to his 10th All-Star Game in 2024 would be a pretty big deal. Here, all it got was a shrug. Part of that is because the selection process doesn’t actually select the best players, rendering the accolade hollow. Still, we know Crosby isn’t getting any pity invites, and it’s incredible that even at the ripe age of 38, he’s still playing at such a high level. He’s the easy choice for Pittsburgh every time.