NHL All-Star Game 2015 Rosters: Analyzing Team Foligno vs Team Toews After Draft

The 60th NHL All-Star Game rosters are set following a draft by team captains Nick Foligno of the host Columbus Blue Jackets and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks. Even with some high-profile withdrawals, including Sidney Crosby, both teams are predictably stacked.

It's the first All-Star weekend in three years after a lockout in 2013 and the Winter Olympics in 2014. The time away has added some extra anticipation to the entire event, which begins in earnest with the Skills Competition on Saturday night.

Let's check out how the rosters shape up following the fantasy draft. The chart is followed by a breakdown of Sunday's game and a prediction for which squad will come out on top.

2015 NHL All-Star Game Rosters

Position	Team Foligno	Team Toews
G	Carey Price	Corey Crawford
G	Marc-Andre Fleury	Roberto Luongo
G	Brian Elliott	Jaroslav Halak
D	Drew Doughty	Shea Weber
D	Duncan Keith	Brent Seabrook
D	Dustin Byfuglien	Aaron Ekblad
D	Brent Burns	Ryan Suter
D	Kevin Shattenkirk	Mark Giordano
D	Oliver Ekman-Larsson	Justin Faulk
F	Nick Foligno	Jonathan Toews
F	Patrick Kane	Ryan Getzlaf
F	Ryan Johansen	Rick Nash
F	Anze Kopitar	Tyler Seguin
F	Steven Stamkos	Jakub Voracek
F	Phil Kessel	John Tavares
F	Claude Giroux	Vladimir Tarasenko
F	Bobby Ryan	Patrice Bergeron
F	Radim Vrbata	Patrik Elias
F	Zemgus Girgensons	Tyler Johnson
F	Alex Ovechkin	Filip Forsberg
F	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	-

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The draft once again featured far more entertainment than strategy. That's why Alex Ovechkin, perhaps the best pure scorer in the world, lasted until the third-to-last pick as he lobbied to get a new car. He fell one pick short of that "award."

His selection did help finish a late surge by Team Foligno, which seemed to be trailing a bit behind Team Toews for most of the draft. The home team also features a top defense pair of Drew Doughty and Duncan Keith, which is perfect for the wide-open style of play in the All-Star Game.

Another great moment from the draft was the first trade in the spectacle's history. Team Toews sent Phil Kessel to the opposite side in exchange for Tyler Seguin. The captain then poked fun at recent talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs star being uncoachable, as noted by Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com:

Ultimately, when the dust settled after the draft, the teams were pretty evenly matched. Team Toews may hold a slight edge up front, but it's offset by marginally strong defense and goaltending on Team Foligno. Of course, there won't be a ton of defensive effort on game day. At least not until the third period.

Ken Campbell of The Hockey News broke down the numbers following the selections. He found Toews' side was more accomplished with 11 Olympic golds and 10 Stanley Cups. When it comes to payroll, however, the quasi home team has the clear edge:

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Boosted by the surprise late selection of Alex Ovechkin, Team Foligno broke the bank and shattered the NHL's salary cap with a payroll of $122.91 million, more than $16 million more than Team Toews. The team also picked up $2.25 million in salary when it made a trade to acquire Phil Kessel for Tyler Seguin.

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Since the teams are so even overall, it should lead to a great weekend of action. It wouldn't be a surprise if the two sides end up splitting the Skills Competition and the All-Star Game itself. And with a player like Shea Weber, who should win hardest shot contest, Team Toews should have the skills edge.

So let's go with Team Foligno for the 60th All-Star Game. It should be close throughout, and both teams will pick up their effort on the defensive end late as the natural competitiveness kicks in. Look for a late goal from Ryan Johansen to send the fans home happy.

Prediction: Team Foligno 9, Team Toews 8