The NHL All-Star Game is set for January 25, 2020, and it’s shaping up to be quite an interesting event. We’ve already witnessed a bit of head coach controversy, as Vegas’ Gerard Gallant was named as a head coach, only to be fired on January 15 by the Golden Knights, and was replaced by Arizona head coach Rick Tocchet.
The other coaches will be Boston’s Bruce Cassidy, Washington’s Todd Reirden, and St. Louis’ Craig Berube. As for the team rosters, they are as follows:
ATLANTIC DIVISION
Forwards
- David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)
- Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
- Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
- Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
- Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
- Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Defensemen
- Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Goaltenders
- Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
- Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Last Man In Candidates
- Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
- Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
- Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
- Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
- Max Domi, Montreal Canadiens
- Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ottawa Senators
- Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
Forwards
- Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
- Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
- Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
- Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
- Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
Defensemen
- Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
- Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
- John Carlson, Washington Capitals
Goaltenders
- Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
- Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
Last Man In Candidates
- Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina Hurricanes
- Nick Foligno, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
- Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
- Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers
- Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers
- Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins
- T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals
CENTRAL DIVISION
Forwards
- Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
- Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
- Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
- Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild
- Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
- Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
Defensemen
- Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
- Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Goaltenders
- Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
- Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Last Man In Candidates
- Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
- Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
- Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars
- Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild
- Matt Duchene, Nashville Predators
- David Perron, St. Louis Blues
- Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets
PACIFIC DIVISION
Forwards
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
- Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
- Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
- Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
- Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
- Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
- Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
Defensemen
- Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Goaltenders
- Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
- Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
Last Man In Candidates
- Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks
- Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes
- Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers
- Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
- Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
- Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
- Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights
NHL All-Star 2020 Key Players and Predictions
So right off the bat, each division is pretty stacked with the best talent the NHL has to offer – that’s the point of the All-Star tournament, isn’t it? Let’s examine them on a more individual level.
For the Atlantic Division, Anthony Duclair as a forward is a great pick. He’s done superbly leading the Ottawa Senators with 21 goals, and an overall 31 points in team scoring. There’s also Auston Matthews from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who has 34 goals this season.
Finally, with Boston Bruins’ Pastrnak as captain, a man who scored 36 goals in 49 appearances, the Atlantic Division has a pretty formidable forward line and could be early favourites to win their All-Star games.
The Metropolitan Division has Konecny, who has led the Flyers in team scoring at 34 points, and is a legitimate top-six threat. But they’ve also been through some difficulties putting a solid roster together. Washington Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin decided to abstain from the All-Star games, despite being voted by the fans, and was replaced by Kris Letang.
The Metropolitan Division suffered further roster issues when Jake Guentzel, Kyle Palmieri and Joonas Korpisalo all pulled out due to injury.
In the Central Division, it’s a murderer’s row of top-talents, and it’s difficult to single out any particular name. The Central Division may have put together the best picks for the 2020 All-Star tournament, with current Stanley Cup holders St. Louis’ Blues coach Craig Berube.
St. Louis Blues forward Ryan O’Reilly is making his second All-Star appearance, and he’s the defending Selke Trophy winner and reigning Conn Smythe Trophy recipient. Overall, Central is going to be really difficult to defeat, and could easily win their games.
Finally, the Pacific Division took a big gamble on originally picking Darcy Kuemper as a goaltender, as many were worried about his health after suffering an injury in December. It’s been reported that he will not be playing at the All-Star games, and is being replaced by Calgary Flames’ David Rittich.
Pacific Division suffered further injury losses in Logan Couture and Marc-Andre Fleury, so they may not be able to hang with the best-of-the-best in the All-Star games.
