The NHL announced its initial 32 All-Stars on Thursday for this year's festivities in Florida, with 12 more players to come Jan. 19 after fan votes are tabulated.
The four division-based teams are headlined by a crop of the usual suspects, but several prominent superstars didn't make the initial cut. There's a decent chance some, or all, of the players on this list of snubs ultimately get the nod, but as John Scott and Zemgus Girgensons can attest, fans don't always take voting seriously.
The All-Star Game itself isn't taken all that seriously by players either; some veterans prefer to spend the time off with their families, while the "one representative from each NHL team" rule tends to dilute the talent pool and takes away from the luster of a true best-on-best format.
Major changes to the All-Star Game format don't appear to be on the horizon, though, so without further ado, here are five players we were surprised to see missing from the initial rosters.
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthews isn't quite having the MVP-caliber season we've grown accustomed to seeing over the past couple years, but he's still one of the game's most recognizable players and elite talents. The NHL should be focused on showcasing its best and most marketable stars in this event rather than appeasing fans of every team. Be honest: Would you rather watch someone like Brock Nelson in the skills competition and three-on-three tournament, or Matthews? The Maple Leafs have a handful of worthy All-Stars this season, but the back-to-back "Rocket" Richard winner is the face of the franchise and has more goals and points this season than Toronto's chosen candidate, Mitch Marner.
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
The "one representative from each team" format might be most unfair to Draisaitl. What other player could rank second in points and top 10 in goals and have legitimately no shot at being their team's All-Star representative?
When creating the All-Star rosters, Connor McDavid's name has to be the first one written down. Draisaitl's exclusion from the initial lists is an indictment of the format, not the selection process. Any player with 22 goals and 60 points in 38 games should be an automatic participant in the game. Draisaitl has more assists than Pacific Division All-Stars Troy Terry, Nazem Kadri, and Matty Beniers have points, for goodness sake.
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Pastrnak was left off the debut Atlantic roster in favor of Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark, who is having a fantastic season. That said, no one tunes into All-Star Weekend for the goalies. Fans want to see as many goals and fun offensive plays as possible, and goaltenders' involvement in the skills competition generally feels forced. It's not exactly fair to send out a cold backstop to attempt to stop the world's best players while they try out their best breakaway moves.
Pastrnak is fifth in the league in goals and seventh in points while leading Boston in both categories by huge margins. He's a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate that might not be involved in the league's premier showcase of talent. It doesn't make sense. Beyond his top-tier production, Pastrnak is one of few NHL superstars with the charisma (just look at that picture above) to match his skills, and he should have been guaranteed the chance to show off both at All-Star Weekend.
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
What does Rantanen have to do to get some All-Star recognition? The 26-year-old has just one All-Star Game appearance, coming back in 2019. Not only is he tied for sixth in goals with 26 tallies, he's the only player on the Avalanche with double-digit goals through 37 games.
Rantanen was an All-Star snub last year due mainly to Colorado's unbelievable array of talent. Sure, it's hard to get too upset when Cale Makar is representing the Avalanche instead. But few players have been as important to their team in 2022-23 as Rantanen, and his production has kept Colorado in the hunt through significant injury woes. It's been good enough to put him in the Hart discussion.
If his overall numbers weren't enough, then surely his superb play over the past month should've been. Rantanen has 11 goals in his last 13 games, averaging an astonishing 25:00 in ice time over that stretch. That deserves an All-Star nod, even if it has to come at Makar's expense.
Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders
Sorokin has unquestionably been the Islanders' best player this season. His 26 goals saved above expected lead the NHL by a notable margin, which he has done in a league-leading 30 appearances.
Islanders representative Brock Nelson has had another quality season with 15 goals and 38 points, and it's great to see him spotlighted, but he's nowhere near major award discussions. Sorokin is squarely in the Vezina conversation and should get Hart votes if New York snags a playoff spot.
Sorokin has been better than Igor Shesterkin - the All-Star goaltender for the Metropolitan Division - in nearly every statistical category except for wins. The Rangers also have multiple excellent All-Star candidates at forward and defense. Bringing Nelson and Shesterkin instead of Sorokin and, say, Adam Fox is a curious choice.
