John Scott ain’t walkin’ through that door.
That’s by design, of course. In an effort to cut down on fun better promote their star players, the league is once again carefully curating a list of players they deem worthy of All-Star captaincy.
Cast your vote for the NHL players you think have earned a trip to Tampa! #NHLAllStar
— NHL (@NHL) December 2, 2017
2018 NHL All-Star Fan Vote: https://t.co/KnWNparQOA pic.twitter.com/T42U1P2gTc
According to our league-employed overlords, the three Blue Jackets worthy of the ballot are Sergei Bobrovsky, Seth Jones and Nick Foligno. Not bad!
Bobrovsky and Jones have certainly played at an all-star level this year, but it’s curious to not see Artemi Panarin (team-leading 19 points), leading goal scorer Josh Anderson or stud defenseman Zach Werenski on the ballot. In fact, more than a dozen forwards on the ballot have scored less than Panarin.
There are a few other noteworthy omissions. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski points out that two of the league’s Calder Trophy frontrunners – Mathew Barzal and Brock Boeser – aren’t listed. Neither are Connor Hellebuyck or Brayden Schenn, both in the midst of career years.
It’s also worth noting that the Pittsburgh Penguins have five players on the ballot – Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, Kris Letting, Evgeni Malkin and Matt Murray. – the most of any team in the league.
Anyways, voting is open now – including write-ins – so go ahead and pick the captain for each division. Apparently voters are also entered to win a trip to Tampa to attend the game, if you needed an added incentive.
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