Toronto Maple Leafs: NHL All-Star Game Criteria Is a Joke

The fact that only one Toronto Maple Leafs player can get an automatic bid into the NHL All-Star Game is a joke.

The NHL’s All-Star Game criteria is beyond backwards, and not guaranteeing anymore Toronto Maple Leafs into the game is terrible.

If you look at each division, there’s probably two players per team that shouldn’t have been named to the NHL All-Star Team. However, because the NHL decided that they need to have at least one representative from each team, they made it by default.

In the grand scheme of things, the NHL All-Star Game doesn’t mean anything. It’s a dumb 3-on-3 tournament, with terrible skills challenges and is primarily targeted to kids. However, why in the world do we need to have one player from every team represented?

Just because you’re the best player on your team doesn’t mean you should be considered an NHL All-Star.

For example, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Matt Murray should all be NHL All-Star’s this year. However, the only person who’s guaranteed is Mitch Marner right now because he was the one that was selected.

Obviously Marner should be invited but the other three should also be there. No offense to Dylan Larkin, Nick Suzuki and Brady Tkachuk, but those three Leafs forwards are better than them and should be represented.

NHL All-Star Game Is a Joke

I know Matthews isn’t having the same season as he did last year, but he’s still on-pace for 40-plus goals and 100 points, so the fact that the reigning Hart Trophy and Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner isn’t guaranteed a spot on the All-Star Team doesn’t make any sense to me.

It would be the same as if someone like Steph Curry didn’t get named to the NBA All-Star after winning his MVP in 2015-16, just because he went from 30.1 points per game to 25.3 points per game. Although his stats dropped, it doesn’t mean he’s not one of the best players in the league and the NBA understood that as he was obviously named to the team, unlike Matthews.

Speaking of the NBA, that’s a league that does it right.

In the NBA, as a player, being named to the All-Star Game is a badge of honor. It’s something every kid dreams of playing in and the players take it seriously. Also, it’s not a charity contest where every team is represented, but instead, you may have as many as four players from one team playing.

The NHL All-Star Game will never get to the level of the NBA All-Star Game and that’s okay, but I want to see the best-on-best in this game. I don’t care who’s the best player on the Anaheim Ducks or Arizona Coyotes this year who are terrible teams, but instead care about who the best players are in each conference.

Like, even Leon Draisaitl who has 63 points in 41 games and is second in the NHL in points can’t get a guaranteed spot because Connor McDavid is his teammate. That’s insane!

Sure, it’s still possible through a Fan-Vote that Nylander, Matthews and Murray could all win the respective vote but at the same time, it’s a fan-vote so that won’t happen. Instead, the fans will vote someone like John Scott again and put a stain on the game.

Let’s get the best players in the world at this event and make it mean something because I know for a fact I won’t be watching unless there’s multiple Toronto Maple Leafs in the line-up.