Projecting the 2018 All-Star rosters
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The 63rd NHL All-Star Game is set for Jan. 28 in Tampa Bay as the league assembles to showcase its best talents.
The captains of the four divisions were revealed Wednesday:
- Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, Metropolitan Division
- Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlantic Division
- P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators, Central Division
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers, Pacific Division
Here's how we see the remaining roster spots filling out. As a reminder, at least one player must be selected from each team.
Central Division
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| F | Jamie Benn | Stars |
| F | Patrick Kane | Blackhawks |
| F | Nathan MacKinnon | Avalanche |
| F | Brayden Schenn | Blues |
| F | Vladimir Tarasenko | Blues |
| F | Blake Wheeler | Jets |
| D | John Klingberg | Stars |
| D | Alex Pietrangelo | Blues |
| D | P.K. Subban | Predators |
| G | Corey Crawford | Blackhawks |
| G | Devan Dubnyk | Wild |
- It's a tough race in Dallas, but captain Jamie Benn gets the edge over Tyler Seguin.
- The St. Louis Blues are well-represented with three players: Brayden Schenn, Vladimir Tarasenko, and captain Alex Pietrangelo.
- Devan Dubnyk is the backbone of the Minnesota Wild, and will be relied upon to showcase that same talent with the Central squad.
Pacific Division
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| F | Brock Boeser | Canucks |
| F | Johnny Gaudreau | Flames |
| F | Anze Kopitar | Kings |
| F | Jonathan Marchessault | Golden Knights |
| F | Connor McDavid | Oilers |
| F | Rickard Rakell | Ducks |
| D | Brent Burns | Sharks |
| D | Drew Doughty | Kings |
| D | Oliver Ekman-Larsson | Coyotes |
| G | John Gibson | Ducks |
| G | Jonathan Quick | Kings |
- Some surprises highlight the Pacific roster, from Brock Boeser - the sensational rookie from the Vancouver Canucks - to Jonathan Marchessault - a breakout star with the Vegas Golden Knights.
- The Pacific team will have a royal bearing with three Kings: Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and netminder Jonathan Quick.
- What's an All-Star weekend without Brent Burns? The San Jose Sharks blue-liner has rebounded nicely after a slow start.
Atlantic Division
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| F | Steven Stamkos | Lightning |
| F | Nikita Kucherov | Lightning |
| F | Auston Matthews | Maple Leafs |
| F | Jonathan Huberdeau | Panthers |
| F | Jack Eichel | Sabres |
| F | Brad Marchand | Bruins |
| D | Erik Karlsson | Senators |
| D | Mike Green | Red Wings |
| D | Victor Hedman | Lightning |
| G | Carey Price | Canadiens |
| G | Andrei Vasilevskiy | Lightning |
- With Tampa Bay hosting the All-Star festivities, expect a large number of Lightning players to make the roster. It helps that they're the best team in the league.
- The few remaining spots mean Boston Bruins such as Tuukka Rask and David Pastrnak narrowly miss the cut.
- Meanwhile, Erik Karlsson, Jack Eichel, and Carey Price are the creme of the very poor crop that is the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, and Montreal Canadiens.
Metropolitan Division
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| F | Alex Ovechkin | Capitals |
| F | Taylor Hall | Devils |
| F | Sidney Crosby | Penguins |
| F | John Tavares | Islanders |
| F | Claude Giroux | Flyers |
| F | Sebastian Aho | Hurricanes |
| D | Kevin Shattenkirk | Rangers |
| D | Seth Jones | Blue Jackets |
| D | John Carlson | Capitals |
| G | Sergei Bobrovsky | Blue Jackets |
| G | Cory Schneider | Devils |
- The Metro has been the second-tightest division in the league, leading to a roster that no single team dominates.
- The New York Islanders take the biggest hit as a result. John Tavares clearly gets the nod, but minimal available spots mean Josh Bailey and Anders Lee stay home.
- Philadelphia Flyers forwards Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek, as well as defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, have certainly played well enough to get the call, but again, there just isn't room.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)