My NHL All-Stars Teams for the 2022-23 Season

The league is trying something new this season when it comes to their All-Star reveal. This past week, the league unveiled its first 32 All-Stars by announcing one player per team representing their division during All-Star Weekend in early February in Sunrise, Florida. Each team is currently comprised of seven skaters and a goalie with three spots left on each team to be decided by the fans. The remaining three spots will be two more skaters and a goalie that the fans will choose, leaving the possibility for some crazy additions. As a Hurricanes fan, I'm hoping for at least one more Hurricane to join Andrei Svechnikov. Despite this hope, I've decided to set my bias aside and put together four teams of 11 that I think should represent the very best the league has to offer. The only parameters I've set for myself are that each team has to be represented, as is already the case, and that each team will be either 7 forwards/2 defensemen/2 goalies or 6 forwards/3 defensemen/2 goalies to avoid having nine forwards and to show some love to the defensemen of the league. I've identified a list of locks for each division. These players either are so good that they deserve to be on the team without question or are by far the best choice to represent their team and there really isn't anyone else that I considered. At the end of it all, my teams will likely look nearly identical to those the league has already unveiled. All of this will be based on personal preference, which is to say that some of my logic might not line up with everyone else. Some very good players are likely to miss the cut. 

Atlantic Division

Locks

G Linus Ullmark (BOS)

F David Pastrnak (BOS)

F Tage Thompson (BUF)

F Nikita Kucherov (TB)

F Nick Suzuki (MTL)

F Matthew Tkachuk (FLA)

For starters, the two biggest no-brainers for the division are from the team in the driver's seat for the President's Trophy. Linus Ullmark leads the league in every important goaltending statistic and has only lost three games of any kind in 29 games. David Pastrnak is top three in goals and top five in points for one of the best offenses in the league. At one point this season, Tage Thompson was the hottest player in the league and while things have slowed down a little, he's already cracked 30 goals and is top ten in points. Tampa Bay provides a couple of decent options and Nikita Kucherov, one of the best playmakers in the league, more than earns a spot as he challenges McDavid for the assist lead. The Montreal choice gets a little clearer with the injury to Cole Caufield but my pick all along was for their captain Nick Suzuki, who holds a slim lead in points for the team. For the hosts, some guys had decent cases yet I'm sticking with the clear choice of Matthew Tkachuk to lead the Panthers in his first season with the team. 

The Rest of the Team

D Rasmus Dahlin (BUF)

G Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB)

F William Nylander (TOR)

F Tim Stutzle (OTT)

D Filip Hronek (DET)

In a division needing representation on defense, I felt the best choice was Rasmus Dahlin. He's second in points and tied for second in goals amongst defensemen at the time I made this list and feels like a solid addition. For the second goalie on the team, as tempting as it'd be to include Boston's other goalie, I decided on Andrei Vasilevskiy. It hasn't been the type of dominant season we're used to seeing from him but he's still a 20-game winner and the second-best option for the division. The remaining picks were tough to determine due to the constraints I placed on myself of having so many defensemen as opposed to a team of all forwards. For Toronto, three names instantly jump out and despite a late push from Auston Matthews, I decided to pick William Nylander because he truly deserves it more than Matthews and Mitch Marner. He's tied with Matthews in goals and points at the moment and is just four points behind Marner having been one of Toronto's most consistent players this season. The top of the board in points for Ottawa is tight and as much as I wanted to get the brothers together, I selected Tim Stutzle to represent the Senators. He and Tkachuk are tied in points per game and he leads Ottawa in goals with a shooting percentage of 17.7%, the best on the team. Because I've already taken so many forwards, Detroit's representative is Filip Hronek but that doesn't mean he's a backup pick. While Dylan Larkin makes a ton of sense, Hronek has the third-most points of any defenseman in the division and is tied for third on the team in points. 

Metropolitan Division

Locks

F Jack Hughes (NJD)

F Alex Ovechkin (WSH)

F Sidney Crosby (PIT)

D Adam Fox (NYR)

F Travis Konecny (PHI)

F Johnny Gaudreau (CBJ)

The picture for the Metropolitan Division is a lot easier for me to see as a Hurricanes fan because these are the teams I see the most in a season, so there were some easy selections right out of the gate. Fewer players have been more consistent than Jack Hughes has been all season as he hasn't been held without a point in consecutive games since late October as he topped 30 goals for the first time in his career. Another 30-goal scorer, Alex Ovechkin topped the mark for the 17th time in his career, tied for the most in NHL history, as he chases down Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. Much like Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby continues to produce at a high level, leading the Penguins in goals, assists, and points. On defense, Adam Fox leads all Metro defensemen in points as he looks to stay in contention for his second Norris Trophy. For the Flyers, the race came down to two forwards that ultimately ended up going to Travis Konecny though it wasn't that close since he has eight more points than Kevin Hayes in five fewer games. Johnny Gaudreau was probably the easiest choice I had to make for the division since no one is remotely close to him in points on a really bad Columbus team. 

The Rest of the Team

F Mika Zibanejad (NYR)

G Igor Shesterkin (NYR)

G Ilya Sorokin (NYI)

F Martin Necas (CAR)

D Dougie Hamilton (NJD)

There were some extremely close calls for the remaining spots in the division. I was stuck picking between two Rangers forwards that likely both deserve to be in the game and while Artemi Panarin leads the team in points, my selection goes to Mika Zibanejad. He is just one point behind Panarin for the Rangers' lead and leads the team in goals while being the better two-way player. The goalie situation in Metropolitan Divison is another tight one. Igor Shesterkin doesn't have better numbers than the other goalie I picked for the division but there's no doubt he's developed the ability to steal some wins for this team. He's one of the most leaned-upon goalies in the league and is having a solid follow-up season after winning last season's Vezina Trophy. Arguably the best goalie in the division is Ilya Sorokin despite his near-.500 record. He hasn't gotten much help from the Islanders' offense and is still putting up excellent numbers on a team struggling to find its identity consistently. While I'd vote for every Hurricane to make the team, I rewarded a fantastic comeback season from Martin Necas to be my representative for Carolina. He's already broken his career-high in goals and is going to shatter his career-high in points by the end of the season after scoring just 40 points in a full season in 2021-22. For my final spot on defense, I chose Dougie Hamilton as he surpassed 40 points and is top five in goals for all defensemen in the league. The next closest defenseman in points in the division is Carolina's Brent Burns with 31 points at this moment. 

Central Division

Locks

D Jason Robertson (DAL)

D Cale Makar (COL)

F Mikko Rantanen (COL)

D Josh Morrissey (WPG)

G Connor Hellebuyck (WPG)

F Kirill Kaprizov (MIN)

F Clayton Keller (ARZ)

On paper, this might be the most top-heavy division in the league because there are a ton of guys that feel like they deserve a spot. The first name that came to mind was Dallas' Jason Robertson as he continues to develop into one of the best snipers in the league as he looks primed to eclipse his 41-goal campaign last season. Colorado has a few guys that could be in the All-Star Game but I've decided on the reigning Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar and the Avalanche's leading scorer Mikko Rantanen. Makar has the fifth-most points of all defensemen in the league and the second-most goals, while Rantanen is top five in goals and top ten in scoring in the NHL. Another team worthy of a few guys is the Winnipeg Jets as I've decided on Josh Morrissey and Connor Hellebuyck to represent them. Morrissey has already far surpassed his best offensive season in his career, sitting with the third-most points among defensemen in the league and Hellebuyck is the league's most utilized goalie with 23 wins in 36 starts this season. For Minnesota, the offense continues to run through Kirill Kaprizov as he leads them in every major offensive category having just celebrated his 100th NHL goal. For as weird of a season as it has been for the Coyotes, Clayton Keller has been their most consistent scorer, with 18 goals and 41 points to pace the team. 

The Rest of the Team

G Jake Oettinger (DAL)

D Roman Josi (NSH)

F Robert Thomas (STL)

F Max Domi (CHI)

The toughest decision to make for the Central Division lies in who the second goalie should be. There are two very good options and both are equally deserving but I decided to select Jake Oettinger over Juuse Saros. Without Saros, the Predators are probably in the hunt for Connor Befard but Oettinger trails only Ullmark in save percentage and goals against average to go along with 21 wins. With Saros missing the cut, it then begs the question of who should represent the Predators and I've picked Roman Josi. The runner-up for last season's Norris Trophy, Josi is tied for the team lead in points right now and is top ten in most offensive categories for defensemen. My pick for St. Louis was a tough one because as much as I'd love to see Jordan Kyrou defend his fastest skater title, I've opted instead for Robert Thomas to represent the Blues. Thomas is just two points behind Kyrou for the St. Louis lead and is also playing much better defensively. Chicago has two guys that have long dominated the league but this season Max Domi has out-produced both and he's earned the spot Chicago is guaranteed. He's having a resurgent season as he leads the Blackhawks in every offensive category. 

Pacific Division

Locks

F Connor McDavid (EDM)

F Leon Draisaitl (EDM)

D Erik Karlsson (SJ)

F Matty Beniers (SEA)

F Kevin Fiala (LAK)

While the Central Division might be top-heavy, the same can't be said for the Pacific Division, even with two of the best players in the world. There are no-brainers and then there is naming Connor McDavid to an All-Star team as he leads the league in goals, assists (tied), and points as he could possibly reach 100 points by the break. Along with McDavid, his teammate Leon Draisaitl is second in the league in points while also sitting fourth in assists. For as rough as the Sharks' season has gone, Erik Karlsson is the current front-runner for the Norris Trophy as he's sixth in the league in points, leading all defensemen offensively with 62 points. Though he doesn't lead his team in points, Matty Beniers has been one of the most exciting rookies in the league with the most goals and points among all Calder-eligible players. Kevin Fiala is far ahead of the rest of his teammates in points while also pushing for the most goals for the Kings. 

The Rest of the Team

G Logan Thompson (VGK)

F Bo Horvat (VAN)

D Quinn Hughes (VAN)

D Rasmus Anderson (CGY)

G Stuart Skinner (EDM)

F Troy Terry (ANA)

One thing the Pacific Division lacks is depth among its goalies because there isn't much to pick from for this team. While there aren't too many great options, the best goalie seems to be Vegas' Logan Thompson in his rookie season. He benefited in the preseason with the injury to Robin Lehner but he's made the most of this opportunity with 19 wins in 33 games as the starter. Though the Canucks just fired their coach, they've gotten some incredible performances from some of their starts, especially Bo Horvat and Quinn Hughes. Horvat has been one of the league's best goal scorers as he reached 30 goals for the second straight season and Hughes has done most of his damage setting up his teammates as he's top ten in the league in assists. Calgary is a curious case because they could really use the two superstars that left during the offseason so I've decided on Rasmus Andersson to represent the Flames. He's already surpassed his career-high in goals this season and could challenge for a new high in points with a hot second half. For the second goalie spot, there weren't too many good options but the best of the bunch is Stuart Skinner, giving the Pacific two rookie goalies. Skinner has seen more action than Edmonton's big offseason signing and has largely outplayed Jack Campbell this season. There is little doubt that Trevor Zegras is turning into the face for the new generation of players but Troy Terry is who truly should represent the Ducks. Terry is just behind Zegras for the most points on the Ducks and has been stronger on both ends of the ice for one of the worst teams in the league.