NHL Power Rankings: Making All-Star Picks for Every Team

Carolina retains its spot at the top, but a new team cracks the top 10. Plus, making All-Star selections for every team ahead of the roster announcement.

The NHL will announce the rosters for its All-Star game Thursday night, three weeks ahead of the Feb. 5 event in Las Vegas. This week’s power rankings will highlight one player from each team deserving of a selection to the showcase, which will feature teams from each of the four divisions competing in a three-game tournament.

From old hats at the All-Star game (including Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos) to new faces (such as Vegas’s Chandler Stephenson), here are our picks:

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32. Montreal Canadiens

Last week: 32
Record: 7-24-4

Nick Suzuki. The 22-year-old center’s 19 points seem paltry compared to gaudy numbers found on other teams, but the total is enough to lead Montreal in scoring, and he leads all Canadiens forwards in ice time.

31. Arizona Coyotes

Last Week: 31
Record: 8-23-3

Shayne Gostisbehere. With fellow defenseman Jakob Chychrun out due to injury, the offseason acquisition has stepped up, posting six points in the last six games.

30. Buffalo Sabres

Last week: 30
Record: 10-19-6

Rasmus Dahlin. Selected No. 1in the 2018 draft, the 21-year-old defenseman is on pace for a career-high 51 points in his fourth season in the league.

29. Ottawa Senators

Last week: 28
Record: 9-18-2

Drake Batherson. The six-year contract he signed in the offseason, which carried an annual average value of $4.975 million, is starting to look like a steal. The 23-year-old forward has 28 points in 24 games so far this season.

28. Seattle Kraken

Last week: 29
Record: 10-21-4

Yanni Gourde. The 30-year-old center lifts the Kraken whenever he’s on the ice. He’s played in eight of Seattle’s 10 wins this season, and he totaled 10 points in those games.

27. Philadelphia Flyers

Last week: 22
Record: 13-15-7

Cam Atkinson. The 32-year-old forward leads the team with 14 goals. While his pace slowed in November, he’s picked back up, with two goals and six points in the first four games of 2022.

26. Chicago Blackhawks

Last week: 24
Record: 13-18-5

Marc-Andre Fleury. The goalie already received a standing ovation and a video tribute in his return to Vegas last Saturday, but an All-Star return seems fitting as well.

25. Detroit Red Wings

Last week: 26
Record: 16-16-5

Lucas Raymond. The rookie hasn’t scored a goal in over a month, but he’s still finding his way onto the scoresheet with eight assists in his last 11 games. He is second on the team with 30 points this season.

24. New Jersey Devils

Last week: 27
Record: 14-17-5

Jack Hughes. With defenseman Dougie Hamilton out with a broken jaw, the up-and-coming Hughes could become the frontrunner for New Jersey’s All-Star selection.

23. Columbus Blue Jackets

Last week: 25
Record: 16-17-1

Zach Werenski. The Blue Jackets rank in the bottom five in the league in goals allowed per game, but Werenski has been a bright spot for the struggling blue line.

22. New York Islanders

Last week: 23
Record: 10-12-6

Ilya Sorokin. Entering this season, the Islanders planned for Sorokin to split starting time with veteran Semyon Varlamov, but Sorokin has wrested control of the crease. The 26-year-old ranks among the league’s top-10 goaltenders in goals-against average and save percentage.

21. Vancouver Canucks

Last week: 19
Record: 16-16-3

Quinn Hughes. With 28 points in 34 games, the 22-year defenseman has his eyes on the Canucks’ record for points by a defenseman in a season. (Doug Lidster scored 63 in the 1986–87 season.)

20. San Jose Sharks

Last week: 21
Record: 20-16-1

Erik Karlsson. Known for his scoring touch, the defenseman has not lit the lamp as often since making the move to San Jose. With eight goals this season, though, he has already matched his total from last season.

19. Edmonton Oilers

Last week: 18
Record: 18-14-2

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. We promised one All-Star per team, but why choose when we all know both will get the call? Edmonton’s dynamic duo are tied for the league lead in points with 53 and have been mesmerizing to watch.

18. Los Angeles Kings

Last week: 17
Record: 18-13-5

Drew Doughty. In six games since the holiday break, the defenseman has five points, nine hits and eight blocked shots, showing off his well-rounded game.

17. Winnipeg Jets

Last week: 16
Record: 16-12-5

Kyle Connor. His coach described him as “underrated,” but the Jets know the value of the 25-year-old winger. He leads the team with 35 points and 19 goals and is tied for the team lead with 16 assists.

16. Dallas Stars

Last week: 20
Record: 18-13-2

Joe Pavelski. The 37-year-old center contributed on every goal in the Stars’ 5–2 win Wednesday against the Kraken. He had two goals and three assists for his first career five-point game.

15. Anaheim Ducks

Last week: 15
Record: 19-13-7

Troy Terry. The fifth-year forward recorded his first NHL hat trick in a win against the Flyers last week. He continues to outpace expectations, already surpassing his previous career highs in goals (22), assists (14) and points (36).

14. Calgary Flames

Last week: 10
Record: 17-10-6

Jacob Markstrom. Even after a rough outing in the Flames’ most recent game, a 6–2 loss to the Panthers, the 31-year-old still has a 2.15 goals-against average and a 0.926 save percentage, which rank fifth and sixth in the league, respectively.

13. Minnesota Wild

Last week: 14
Record: 21-10-2

Kirill Kaprizov. The 24-year-old forward has missed the last week with an upper-body injury, but he is expected to return to the lineup this week as he looks to add to his four-game goal streak.

12. New York Rangers

Last week: 12
Record: 23-10-4

Adam Fox. As the quarterback of the Rangers’ top power-play unit, Fox has compiled the most power-play assists by a defenseman this season (16) and the second-most overall, just one behind McDavid’s 17.

11. Boston Bruins

Last week: 13
Record: 20-11-2

Brad Marchand. His hat trick in Wednesday’s 5–1 win against the Canadiens added to his absurd scoring surge. The 33-year-old winger has eight goals in the Bruins’ last four games.

10. Washington Capitals

Last week: 6
Record: 20-8-9

Alex Ovechkin. This one’s all but a lock, as the winger led all players heading into the final day of the All-Star fan vote. The top vote-getter from each division will be named the captain of that team.

9. St. Louis Blues

Last week: 9
Record: 21-10-5

Jordan Kyrou. Sure, Vladimir Tarasenko is the bigger name, but Kyrou sits atop the Blues’ leaderboard with 36 points. The 23-year-old forward notched four points against the Wild in the Winter Classic.

8. Nashville Predators

Last week: 11
Record: 24-11-2

Roman Josi. Second among defenseman in scoring, Josi’s 37 points this season trail just Victor Hedman’s 38, and he’s done it in three fewer games.

7. Vegas Golden Knights

Last week: 5
Record: 23-14-2

Chandler Stephenson. On Tuesday, less than halfway through the season, the 27-year-old forward reached a new career high in points with 36 in 38 appearances.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning

Last week: 8
Record: 24-9-5

Steven Stamkos. The star center will miss another shot at the Olympics, but with 44 points through 37 games, he deserves an All-Star appearance as a consolation prize.

5. Pittsburgh Penguins

Last week: 7
Record: 21-9-5

Jake Guentzel. While the 27-year-old forward didn’t start slow, he’s been blazing over the last two months. He has recorded a point in all 18 games since Nov. 13 and has 27 points total in that span.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Last week: 4
Record: 23-9-3

Jack Campbell. The 30-year-old netminder has already reached a career high in both starts (27) and wins (18) this season. The only unknown remaining is his endurance.

3. Florida Panthers

Last week: 2
Record: 24-7-5

Jonathan Huberdeau. He continues to prove his name belongs alongside the top stars in the league. Huberdeau has 47 points this season, fifth-most in the NHL and just six behind leaders Draisaitl and McDavid.

2. Colorado Avalanche

Last week: 3
Record: 22-8-3

Nazem Kadri. The 31-year-old center scored the game-winning goal in Colorado’s 4–3 comeback win against Seattle on Monday. He has a 13-game point streak stretching back to late November.

1. Carolina Hurricanes

Last week: 1
Record: 24-7-2

Jaccob Slavin. The 27-year-old defenseman averages nearly 24 minutes of ice time per game, over two minutes more than any other player on the Hurricanes. He leads the NHL in shorthanded ice time this season as a cornerstone of Carolina’s penalty kill.