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NHL

Power Rankings: All-Star Fun Edition

Posted Jan 09, 2009 12:00PM By Ted Starkey (RSS feed)

Filed Under: NHL General, NHL All Star Game, NHL Power Rankings

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The All-Star rosters came out with a heavy influence from computer geeks in Chicago, Montreal, Orange County and Pittsburgh. Now it's time to sift through the teams that got hosed by the process as well as which players really should be thankful to be getting an all-expenses paid trip to Quebec in two weeks.

Clearly, the NHL had a tough job with the deck handed to it with only four teams represented in the All-Star voting, and a couple of those picks taking a roster spot away from a player more deserving of the honor.

In the East, while Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin certainly earned their spots (despite the Pens looking anything like the defending conference champs lately), the selection of four Canadiens costs at least two other Eastern skaters a spot. On merit, the Habs probably would have had Carey Price and perhaps Andrei Markov in the lineup, but Alexei Kovalev and Mike Komisarek just take a roster spot from a worthy player that fans outside Montreal would like to see.

Out West, there's little argument that Chicago's trio of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Brian Campbell were worthy, but it's the Anaheim side of the starters that's much more dubious. While Ryan Getzlaf was worth of a roster spot, J.S. Giguere and Scott Niedermayer are not even the best at their positions on the team.

So, with the All-Star debate raging, here's a team-by-team breakdown on who got overlooked, and who got lucky.

  • 1. Red Wings (Last Week: 2)
    While Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom earn a trip to Montreal, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa and Brian Rafalski will be getting a weekend off because of the Ducks and 'Hawks in the starting lineups.
  • 2. Bruins (Last Week's Rank: 1)
    Phil Kessel will miss out on the festivities in Montreal, but at least the B's got Marc Savard, Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara into the lineup so the East's best has almost as many as the Habs.
  • 3. Capitals (Last Week: 4)
    Bruce Boudreau called the whole process "dumb," and considering Alex Ovechkin went in as a reserve and teammates Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom were overlooked altogether, he probably has a point.
  • 4. Sharks (Last Week: 3)
    Another team that was hurt by the fan voting was the Sharks, as although Joe Thornton and Dan Boyle got in, Patrick Marleau has the dubious honor of being the Western player with the highest point total without an invite.
  • 5. Canadiens (Last Week: 6)
    At least the Canadiens have been winning, but while you could craft arguments for Carey Price, Alexei Kovalev and Andrei Markov, the fact that Mike Komisarek - currently sixth among Habs defensemen in plus-minus - got the start is ridiculous.
  • 6. Blackhawks (Last Week: 5)
    The one team that voters came closest to getting it right is with the Blackhawks, as Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Brian Campbell are worthy - at least much more so than most of the others voted in.
  • 7. Flyers (Last Week: 7)
    While Jeff Carter is certainly deserving of his spot with his 27 goals, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne and Kimmo Timonen also had strong cases to be included on this year's Eastern squad.
  • 8. Flames (Last Week: 8)
    Jarome Iginla gets in for the Flames, but the local press is really fuming that Miikka Kiprusoff did not get in while division rival Roberto Luongo got the nod, despite being out six weeks.
  • 9. Canucks (Last Week: 12)
    Ironically, the selection of Roberto Luongo could mean no Canucks play in the All-Star Game, since if he isn't able to suit up, Columbus' Steve Mason might be the choice and one of the Sedin twins likely isn't going to be an alternate .
  • 10. Sabres (Last Week: 13)
    Thomas Vanek makes history, becoming the first Austrian All-Star, but Ryan Miller misses out on being an Eastern alternate as Tim Thomas (deservedly) and Henrik Lundqvist (more on reputation) gets the nod.
  • 11. Devils (Last Week: 11)
    Patrik Elias has the dubious honor of being the only player in the NHL's top 10 in scoring not getting an invitation, as he's tied in points with teammate (and selection) Zach Parise.
  • 12. Hurricanes (Last Week: 14)
    Eric Staal will be back to defend his All-Star MVP honor, although had there not been such a logjam in the crease among East netminders, Cam Ward might have gotten the pick with better numbers than Lundqvist.
  • 13. Rangers (Last Week: 9)
    Lundqvist finally cashes in on his reputation for his first All-Star appearance, as despite numbers worse than his previous seasons, he gets the nod, but with the only alternative being Nikolai Zherdev, the "King" gets the spot.
  • 14. Penguins (Last Week: 10)
    The free-falling Penguins get a pair of All-Stars, but it's hard to argue against either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin deserving spots with or without the fans' voting. Unfortunately for Pens fans, none of the rest of the club is deserving right now.
  • 15. Wild (Last Week: 17)
    With a struggling offense, Niklas Backstrom is the solid choice, as the keeper records two more shutouts this week to bring his total to five on the campaign, tied for best in the league.
  • 16. Avalanche (Last Week: 15)
    The Avs, who had no All-Stars at last year's contest, get Milan Hejduk, who's the best healthy Colorado skater left with Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny both unable to play due to injury.
  • 17. Ducks (Last Week: 16)
    Surprisingly one of the beneficiaries of fan voting, J.S. Giguere is getting the nod even though Jonas Hiller has all the Ducks' wins since Dec. 14. Ryan Getzlaf earned his fan vote, but Scott Niedermayer is a suspect choice being -2 despite scoring 24 points.
  • 18. Coyotes (Last Week: 18)
    Shane Doan has had nearly a point-per-game campaign, and he is rewarded for that with his second All-Star berth and a trip to Montreal. No word if ex-Coyote Keith Tkachuk is going lobby for them to be on the same line again as they were in St. Paul.
  • 19. Stars (Last Week: 23)
    Mike Modano gets the Stars' nod for his seventh All-Star selection, beating out teammates Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro and Loui Eriksson, all of whom have more points than their captain.
  • 20. Blue Jackets (Last Week: 21)
    While Rick Nash will be representing the Jackets in Montreal with a solid season, rookie netminder Steve Mason certainly appears like he could step in if Luongo can't play for the Western All-Stars.
  • 21. Oilers (Last Week: 22)
    Sheldon Souray is the Oil's lone representative in the All-Star Game with 12 goals and 17 assists for an Edmonton team looking to snag a playoff berth.
  • 22. Predators (Last Week: 20)
    Shea Weber gets the nod for the sliding Nashville club, as the young defenseman has put together a nice season for the team struggling to make the playoffs.
  • 23. Panthers (Last Week: 23)
    Jay Bouwmeester earns his second All-Star selection, as the Panthers sit a point out of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot with three months to go.
  • 24. Kings (Last Week: 25)
    Dustin Brown isn't having a bad season in Los Angeles, but he clearly is a beneficiary of the NHL's unwritten goal of getting every team represented in the contest.
  • 25. Senators (Last Week: 24)
    Dany Heatley is one of the few bright spots for the Sens, who look like they're ready to clean house as a playoff berth is slipping further and further away.
  • 26. Maple Leafs (Last Week: 26)
    Fans in Montreal need a Maple Leaf to mock, so defenseman Tomas Kaberle will get the honor of being the only Toronto skater on the Eastern Conference.
  • 27. Blues (Last Week: 27)
    Another beneficiary of having every team represented in the All-Star Game, Keith Tkachuk earns himself a free trip to Montreal despite not even leading his own team in scoring.
  • 28. Lightning (Last Week: 28)
    Both Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis have had decent seasons for a bad Tampa Bay club, but with the team tied for the second-worst record in the league, only Lecavalier gets the nod.
  • 29. Thrashers (Last Week: 29)
    Ilya Kovalchuk is the Thrashers' only All-Star, the only question is what jersey he'll be wearing when the game comes back in 2011.
  • 30. Islanders (Last Week: 30)
    Mark Streit is likely deserving of his spot, even with New York making a strong bid to make John Tavares the team's next All-Star representative.
Check out the last rankings here.

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