NHL All-Star Game 2017 Rosters: Full Player List, Comments and Reaction

The NHL released the official rosters for the 2017 All-Star Game on Tuesday. The 62nd edition of the annual showcase is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 29 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Here's a look at the full rosters, per NHL.com:

Position	Player	Team
-	Atlantic Division	-
F	Nikita Kucherov	Lightning
F	Brad Marchand	Bruins
F	Auston Matthews	Maple Leafs
F	Frans Nielsen	Red Wings
F	Kyle Okposo	Sabres
F	Vincent Trocheck	Panthers
D	Victor Hedman	Lightning
D	Erik Karlsson	Senators
D	Shea Weber	Canadiens
G	Carey Price (C)	Canadiens
G	Tuukka Rask	Bruins
-	Metropolitan Division	-
F	Sidney Crosby (C)	Penguins
F	Taylor Hall	Devils
F	Evgeni Malkin	Penguins
F	Alex Ovechkin	Capitals
F	Wayne Simmonds	Flyers
F	John Tavares	Islanders
D	Justin Faulk	Hurricanes
D	Seth Jones	Blue Jackets
D	Ryan McDonagh	Rangers
G	Sergei Bobrovsky	Blue Jackets
G	Braden Holtby	Capitals
-	Central Division	-
F	Patrick Kane	Blackhawks
F	Patrik Laine	Jets
F	Nathan MacKinnon	Avalanche
F	Tyler Seguin	Stars
F	Vladimir Tarasenko	Blues
F	Jonathan Toews	Blackhawks
D	P.K. Subban (C)	Predators
D	Duncan Keith	Blackhawks
D	Ryan Suter	Wild
G	Corey Crawford	Blackhawks
G	Devan Dubnyk	Wild
-	Pacific Division	-
F	Connor McDavid (C)	Oilers
F	Jeff Carter	Kings
F	Johnny Gaudreau	Flames
F	Bo Horvat	Canucks
F	Ryan Kesler	Ducks
F	Joe Pavelski	Sharks
D	Brent Burns	Sharks
D	Drew Doughty	Kings
D	Cam Fowler	Ducks
G	Martin Jones	Sharks
G	Mike Smith	Coyotes

This year's game will once again feature the three-on-three format that debuted one year ago. It creates an exciting end-to-end brand of attacking hockey that's more entertaining than the standard five-on-five approach of years past since there was little defense played anyway.

The Metropolitan Division is stacked at forward with the presence of Pittsburgh Penguins teammates Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, as well as Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin. It will be intriguing to see whether those three end up on the ice together without a defenseman at some point.

Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid, the heir apparent to Crosby as the best player in the league, is making his All-Star debut after missing last year's game due to an injury. He's joined on the Pacific Division team by a strong defense of Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks), Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings) and Cam Fowler (Anaheim Ducks).

The Central Division is the only one with the offensive firepower to keep pace with the Metropolitan. It will feature a star-studded forward group, led by Chicago Blackhawks stalwarts Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, along with Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars and Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Division seems like the early underdog. It's a bit surprising that Kyle Okposo got the nod as the Buffalo Sabres' representative over Jack Eichel, whose speed and skill is better suited for the three-on-three competition, but Eichel did miss a quarter of the season due to injury.

Although a handful of other players have strong cases as major snubs, including the Blackhawks' Artemi Panarin and the Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty, Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports provided the case as for why that doesn't have much meaning anymore:

What the rosters lack is a fun story in the mold of John Scott. The journeyman forward was voted in to last year's All-Star Game thanks to a groundswell of internet support, even winning the MVP Award, but the league created a new rule to prevent a similar instance in 2017 and beyond.

It's unfortunate because Scott's time in the spotlight brought some much needed attention to the NHL's midseason festivities. Now, the league will have to hope its biggest names and the fast-paced style of play will be enough to attract a mainstream audience for NBC.