New All-Star Game Format: Who Makes it For The Avs? Other Teams?

The NHL All-Star game format changed for this year, as we are sure most of you know, perhaps for the better; perhaps the worse. Only time will tell. But instead we’re going to blindly speculate the 5 best and 5 worst things, potentially, about the all-star game even though we don’t know teams, it has never happened before, this is brand new, and we complained and hated the last All-Star games. Just kidding, those articles are pointless and every credited NHL writing team has done it because apparently there is nothing to write about anymore except speculation. Journalism is apparently dead.

So let’s talk about what we do know: a quick reminder about the important changes. 3 on 3; 4 teams, 1 from each conference; every team must be represented; 11 players per team, 6 forwards, 3 d-men, 2 goalies; the fans choose 1 player for each team, the NHL choses the other 10. That is all you need to know for the purpose of this post.

So, every team must be represented, and with 11 players per conference that doesn’t leave a lot of room for everyone that deserves to play. Add in the fact that the Central Division has some of the most electric and entertaining big name players in league, and we have a tough situation. So what does this mean for the Avs?

The player chosen by the fans will most likely be a Blackhawk, and if it isn’t it most likely won’t be a Colorado player. Uh oh, we’re speculating. Let’s look at the no brainers, sans Avs.

The probable players:

Toews - CHI

Kane - CHI

Tarasenko - STL

Seguin - DAL

Benn – DAL

Filip Forsberg – NSH

Parise – MIN

Wheeler - WPG

Shea Weber – NSH

Klingberg – DAL

Suter – MIN

Keith – CHI

Rinne – NSH

Dubnyk – MIN

Allen – STL

Here are the shoe ins for the ASG excluding Avs players. But wait. This is already way over the roster size. So let’s look at our options. Wheeler has to stay because he is Winnipeg’s only representative. Keith on defense probably won’t make it. All of the other players really deserve to be there, but we still need room for at least one Colorado player. Will the Avs be the only other team to only have 1 representative? 

You can count out a goalie spot. Berra will never make it and unless Varlamov plays out of his mind and racks up wins, he’s out. On defense, has Barrie played well enough to oust any of the 3 d-men left up there? No. Has Johnson? Not yet. So because of the competition, you can count out a defensive representative. But it gets very interesting at forward. As we see it right now, the Avs have only 2 worthy representatives. Iginla unfortunately doesn’t make the cut, and neither does Landeskog. But both MacKinnon and Duchene deserve to be there, and with Wheeler staying put, who gets ousted? If the Wild send Dubnyk and/or Suter, look for Parise to sit out, which is a crime even though we hate him. All of us. But there are still 6 forwards on that list so someone has to go home. You simply cannot deny the dynamic Stars duo, and Kane/Toews are a given. If Jake Allen isn’t selected as a goalie, Tarasenko has to attend, and if he is, maybe Forsberg sits out. This is all assuming (that thing we said we hated at the beginning of the post) that only 1 Avalanche player makes it, which will probably be the case given the competition. So who makes the team? We say MacKinnon should represent the Avs over Duchene based purely on the fact that he knows Sidney Crosby and that’s been publicized. And because he has had a better, more consistent year.

It is confusing trying to figure out who plays and who doesn’t, and the poor guys who have to pick the teams are going to lose out with the fans no matter what. Think of how many players on these teams that are left off the list: Steen, Seabrook, Crawford, Neal, Spezza, Shattenkirk, Josi, Byfuglien, Pietrangelo, Little, Sharp, and so on.

Of course, a player could get hurt, traded, or run into another obstacle that stops them from attending. A player could go ice cold, and another player could heat up. If John Klingberg cools off do we see Erik Johnson?

If you think this all means nothing because of the many variables, and this was a huge waste of time, you’re wrong. Because as it stands right now, the Avs are only getting representation by 1 player during the whole All-Star weekend. It just wouldn’t make any sense otherwise. So hopefully MacKinnon has a good time.

* Bonus Scenario: Avs freakishly run into injury problems: Duchene, Iginla, Tanguay, Varly, Landy, MacKinnon, EJ, Barrie, Soderberg, Beauchemin, all get hurt and the Avs send John Mitchell. Wouldn't that be something.

Our pick for the Central Division All-Star Team:

Forwards:

Benn – DAL

Seguin – DAL

Kane – CHI

Tarasenko – STL

MacKinnon – COL

Little – WPG

Defensemen:

Weber – NSH

Klingberg – DAL

Suter – MIN

Goalies:

Rinne – NSH

Allen – STL

Little finally gets the recognition he deserves, Dallas/Nashville sends 3, Toews doesn’t make it because he is streaky so far, and the Wild get 1 player. The only tossup is subbing Dubnyk for Allen.

Agree? Disagree?