Every NHL Team's Most Worthy All-Star Selection so Far in 2015-16
We are now one-quarter of the way through the 2015-16 NHL season. It's still early, but we've seen enough now to get a feel for the teams and players that are off to great starts, as well as those whose starts haven't been so great.
It seems a good time to take a look around the league and see which players on each team deserve to be in the conversation for an All-Star nod.
These rankings are based both on merit and likelihood of winning. So, for example, a brilliant two-way player with good point totals may be deserving of a win, but he's likely to be overlooked by a better pure offensive threat because that's just the way that voting goes.
We try and mention these underrated players as much as possible throughout, but our goal here is to identify guys with a legitimate shot at winning, and so we've put our primary focus on players with the kind of credentials that voters seem to like.
We've included up-to-date stats, previous award wins and a breakdown of each individual's chances on the slides that follow. We've also taken pains to mention other candidates on these players' teams who might also win awards.
Anaheim Ducks: Frederik Andersen
1 of 30
Stats line: 14 GP, 3-6-4 record, .918 save percentage
Previous awards: NHL All-Rookie Team (2014)
Can he win? There hasn't been much to cheer about in Anaheim this season, but Andersen has been good. His .918 save percentage is a quality number for a starter, and although the wins haven't followed, that has more to do with the team in front of him than Andersen himself. Still, he's a long shot for any major award this year because while his numbers are good, they aren't at an elite level.
Other candidates: Mostly, this is about the lack of other options on the roster. Ryan Getzlaf has been hurt and has just one goal, while Corey Perry leads the team with only 11 points in 19 games.
Arizona Coyotes: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
2 of 30
Stats line: 18 GP, 3G-10A-13PTS, 52.5 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: None.
Can he win? Ekman-Larsson's chances are hurt by playing for the Coyotes, a team that is often an afterthought at the league-wide level. However, he's clearly a franchise cornerstone and is well-regarded around the league, having earned Norris Trophy votes in each of the last three seasons. If he keeps putting up points, he just might be an All-Star at the end of the year.
Other candidates: Martin Hanzal is scoring at better than a point-per-game clip, but competition is going to be fierce at centre. Winger Max Domi won't be in competition for the All-Star team but should be in the hunt for the Calder Trophy and is all but a lock on the All-Rookie team.
Boston Bruins: Patrice Bergeron
3 of 30
Stats line: 17 GP, 7G-10A-17PTS, 51.9 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: Frank J. Selke Trophy (2012, 2014, 2015), King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2013)
Can he win? It's tough to earn an All-Star berth at centre; Bergeron has won the Selke on three occasions but has never finished higher than fourth in All-Star voting. However, he also hasn't topped 65 points in a season in nearly a decade, and right now he's on pace to better that number. He'll be hard to overlook if he's near the point-per-game mark because of all he contributes off the stats sheet.
Other candidates: David Krejci has been very good, but it looks like he's riding a bit of a shooting percentage bubble, so we'll see if he can keep that scoring up. Zdeno Chara is generally seen to be in decline but was the runner-up for the Norris Trophy in 2014 and looks to have recovered his scoring touch.
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Buffalo Sabres: Ryan O'Reilly
4 of 30
Stats line: 18 GP, 6G-9A-15PTS, 49.8 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (2014)
Can he win? O'Reilly generally doesn't score enough to get serious All-Star consideration, and while he's off to a hot start, he probably needs to pick up the pace if he is to edge out other contenders. He's very disciplined and good defensively, so a Selke Trophy or another Lady Byng win isn't out of the question.
Other candidates: Jack Eichel isn't scoring enough, and Linus Ullmark hasn't played enough yet, but both are going to be candidates for the NHL All-Rookie team.
Calgary Flames: Johnny Gaudreau
5 of 30
Stats line: 20 GP, 4G-14A-18PTS, 49.0 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: NHL All-Rookie Team (2015)
Can he win? Gaudreau benefits from being a left wing; the real competition is at centre, and any winger who can score in the point-per-game range is probably going to get some consideration. His shooting percentage is at a modest 9.1 percent this season after an outstanding 14.4 percent run as a rookie, which suggests he may even have room to improve upon his current run.
Other candidates: T.J. Brodie is probably worth keeping an eye on. He missed nine games to start the season but has been very good since coming back; he could make a run for a spot on defence.
Carolina Hurricanes: Justin Faulk
6 of 30
Stats line: 18 GP, 6G-6A-12PTS, 54.2 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: NHL All-Rookie Team (2012)
Can he win? Not the way Carolina is playing right now. Faulk is playing a ton of minutes for a team with wretched goaltending, and his plus/minus reflects that reality. NHL voters have consistently refused to vote for defencemen with a bad plus/minus, and they generally don't much care for defencemen on bad teams either.
Other candidates: There aren't any.
Chicago Blackhawks: Patrick Kane
7 of 30
Stats line: 19 GP, 13G-17A-30PTS, 57.1 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: Conn Smythe Trophy (2013), Calder Memorial Trophy (2008), NHL First Team All-Star (2010), NHL All-Rookie Team (2008)
Can he win? Kane is currently the NHL's scoring leader, with a three-point gap separating him from Tyler Seguin in second place. He either leads or is tied for the lead in goals, assists, points, plus/minus, power-play goals and game-winning goals. He and linemate Artemi Panarin (more on him in a moment) have been unreal together and as a result, Kane is off to the best start of his illustrious career.
Other candidates: Panarin deserves mention, too. The rookie left wing is averaging better than a point per game and has seemingly come out of nowhere after being recruited from the KHL. Duncan Keith has been hurt, but Brent Seabrook has done much to fill the void on defence and at his current scoring rate will be in the Norris conversation. Jonathan Toews is off to a slow start, but his significant reputation precedes him.
Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon
8 of 30
Stats line: 18 GP, 8G-12A-20PTS, 52.4 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: Calder Trophy (2014), NHL All-Rookie Team (2014)
Can he win? MacKinnon's odds would be better if he was still predominately playing right wing. Still, he's scoring at better than a point-per-game pace, and if he can keep that up, recent history shows that he's likely to finish near the top of the NHL scoring list.
Other candidates: Goalie Reto Berra is rocking a .942 save percentage, though he's only played in nine games. Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene both have reasonable offensive totals, too.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Ryan Johansen
9 of 30
Stats line: 17 GP, 2G-11A-13PTS, 48.6 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: None.
Can he win? One of the critical differences between Johansen and the other players at the top of the Blue Jackets' scoring list is shooting percentage. Scott Hartnell, Boone Jenner and Brandon Saad all have highly comparable stats lines, but all are shooting at a 17 percent clip or better. Johnasen, in contrast, is scoring on less than six percent of his shots.
Because Johansen is scoring at less than half his career number, it's reasonable to expect him to start piling up the goals soon. If he does that and keeps collecting assists, he's going to be hard to overlook.
Other candidates: The Jackets' wretched start sunk a lot of potential candidacies.
Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn
10 of 30
Stats line: 19 GP, 12G-14A-26PTS, 54.6 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: Art Ross Trophy (2015), NHL First Team All-Star (2014), NHL Second Team All-Star (2015)
Can he win? Benn is one of several Stars with strong candidacies (more on the rest in a moment). He's been an All-Star in each of the last two years now, and plays at the less competitive left wing position rather than at centre where there are more plausible challengers. Not only can he win, but right now he's probably a favourite for one of two spots on the All-Star team.
Other candidates: Positional considerations put Benn in first place, but centre Tyler Seguin (27 points in 19 games) and defenceman John Klingberg (20 points in 19 games) are both also going to be hard to ignore. Even goalie Kari Lehtonen is 8-1-0 with a .921 save percentage.
Detroit Red Wings: Henrik Zetterberg
11 of 30
Stats line: 19 GP, 4G-11A-15PTS, 49.3 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: Conn Smythe Trophy (2008), King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2015), NHL Second Team All-Star (2008), NHL All-Rookie Team (2003)
Can he win? Zetterberg is playing reasonably well, but his shot rates are a bit of a red flag. He generally averages about three shots per game and in his prime was well over four shots per game; this year, he's stuck at just over two. He's not a pure finisher, so unless he gets his shot volume up, he won't have enough goals to be seriously considered.
Other candidates: Dylan Larkin has been good early for the Wings but will likely only be in the running for rookie awards. Goalie Petr Mrazek (11 GP, 5-4-1 record, .934 save percentage) deserves consideration but likely won't get it unless Detroit starts splitting time between him and veteran Jimmy Howard (9 GP, 4-4-1 record, .918 save percentage).
Edmonton Oilers: Taylor Hall
12 of 30
Stats line: 19 GP, 8G-13A-21PTS, 53.1 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: None.
Can he win? Hall nearly made the league's second All-Star team in 2013 but finished just short, as the Professional Hockey Writers Association decided that in addition to a first-team win at right wing, Alex Ovechkin also deserved a second-team win at left wing. Hall's scoring at an identical pace today, and presumably, the PHWA won't want to repeat that debacle.
Other candidates: Connor McDavid would have been in the mix for some serious awards, but a broken collarbone has effectively taken him out of the running. Sophomore centre Leon Draisaitl is off to a hot start, though, with 14 points in just nine games so far.
Florida Panthers: Roberto Luongo
13 of 30
Stats line: 14 GP, 6-6-2 record, .926 save percentage
Previous awards: William M. Jennings Trophy (2011), NHL Second Team All-Star (2004, 2007)
Can he win? As strange as it sounds, Luongo hasn't been in serious consideration for any NHL award since 2011, when he finished third in both the Vezina and All-Star races. He's off to a good start this season, however. If his current numbers hold, that .926 save percentage will be his best total since 2011. He's a dark horse but is worth keeping an eye on.
Other candidates: Jaromir Jagr has 14 points in 16 games despite being slowed considerably by injury. It's hard to imagine a player his age being in the running, but he has a way of defying expectations.
Los Angeles Kings: Drew Doughty
14 of 30
Stats line: 18 GP, 2G-9A-11PTS, 56.1 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: NHL Second Team All-Star (2010, 2015), NHL All-Rookie Team (2009)
Can he win? Doughty's hardware cupboard is curiously light given how highly he's regarded around the league, but most of that is a function of the fact that he rarely puts up truly gaudy offensive totals. He's on pace for pretty much the same totals as he managed last year, when he won a spot on the NHL's second All-Star team.
Other candidates: The Kings' style of play rarely leads to anyone really blowing the doors off, so forwards are going to have trouble winning. Tyler Toffoli has a pile of goals early, but he's riding a hot shooting percentage that is almost double his career average, so don't bet on him. Jake Muzzin has mostly lived in Doughty's shadow but might get some love this year.
Minnesota Wild: Ryan Suter
15 of 30
Stats line: 17 GP, 2G-13A-15PTS, 50.8 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: NHL First Team All-Star (2013)
Can he win? If he keeps playing like this he can. One of the problems with Suter in recent years has been that the Wild lean so heavily on him; he's averaged 29-plus minutes per game in back-to-back seasons. This year, he's down below 28 minutes per night, which might allow him to sustain superlative play for a longer period of time. Of interest: He averaged just 27:17 per game in 2013, when he was the runner-up for the Norris Trophy.
Other candidates: Mikko Koivu has had a nice start to the year, but Suter is far and away the Wild's best bet.
Montreal Canadiens: P.K. Subban
16 of 30
Stats line: 19 GP, 1G-16A-17PTS, 54.3 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: James Norris Memorial Trophy (2013), NHL First Team All-Star (2013, 2015), NHL All-Rookie Team (2011)
Can he win? Subban has been a first-team All-Star in two of the last three seasons, and his performance this year puts him on a very comparable pace to what he managed in those campaigns. That he's done it with a lousy 2.1 shooting percentage suggests we haven't seen him at his very best yet, either. He should be considered a front-runner for one of the four spots open on defence.
Other candidates: Carey Price has been injured of late but started the year 7-2-0 with a .936 save percentage; if he gets back soon, he'll certainly be in the mix for both an All-Star berth and the Vezina. Max Pacioretty is scoring ridiculous numbers of goals again and should be given serious consideration at left wing.
Nashville Predators: Shea Weber
17 of 30
Stats line: 17 GP, 6G-4A-10PTS, 49.8 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: NHL First Team All-Star (2011, 2012), NHL Second Team All-Star (2014, 2015)
Can he win? Only once in the last five seasons has Weber been omitted from the end-of-year All-Star voting, and he's scoring at his usual pace, so it's probable that once again he'll make the team. Oddly, the 30-year-old has never won the Norris despite several close calls.
Other candidates: Partner Roman Josi should be in the running once again; he finished fifth in All-Star voting last season, thus just missing the cut. Goaltender Pekka Rinne is enjoying a fine season; he finished third in last year's All-Star voting and, like Josi, just missed the team. Winger James Neal is just below the point-per-game mark and is scoring goals every other game.
New Jersey Devils: Cory Schneider
18 of 30
Stats line: 15 GP, 9-5-1 record, .926 save percentage
Previous awards: William M. Jennings Trophy (2011)
Can he win? Schneider has rarely played enough games to get serious All-Star consideration, but that's starting to change. He's been New Jersey's MVP in the early going this season, as he was last year, and has emerged as one of the game's most bankable starting goaltenders. He should be in the running.
Other candidates: Left winger Mike Cammalleri is currently scoring at a point-per-game pace; he hasn't been at that level since 2009.
New York Islanders: John Tavares
19 of 30
Stats line: 16 GP, 9G-8A-17PTS, 48.5 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: NHL First Team All-Star (2015), NHL All-Rookie Team (2010)
Can he win? Tavares is universally recognized as one of the top centres in the game, though the competition at the position is obviously fierce. In 2013, incredibly, he finished third in Hart Trophy voting but fourth in All-Star voting at his position. He's off to a good start this year, however, and is the incumbent.
Other candidates: New York would have a goalie candidate if only it had just one goalie candidate. Both Jaroslav Halak (5-4-1 record, .927 save percentage) and Thomas Greiss (5-1-2 record, .930 save percentage) have been putting in brilliant performances, but it's been impossible for the Isles to play only one of the two.
New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist
20 of 30
Stats line: 14 GP, 10-2-2 record, .947 save percentage
Previous awards: Vezina Trophy (2012), NHL First Team All-Star (2012), NHL Second Team All-Star (2013), NHL All-Rookie Team (2006)
Can he win? At this point, can he lose? Just kidding; goaltending performance does fluctuate up and down, and a glorious run of 14 games can disappear inside an otherwise average season. However, if Lundqvist plays even at his career-average rate, he's been so good early that his end-of-season numbers could prove impossible to ignore.
Other candidates: Mats Zuccarello has 18 points in 18 games, easily leading the team in offensive production; if he can keep that pace up, he'll be in the conversation. Ryan McDonagh is a dark horse on defence but needs shinier point totals.
Ottawa Senators: Erik Karlsson
21 of 30
Stats line: 18 GP, 3G-15A-18PTS, 51.2 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: James Norris Memorial Trophy (2012, 2015), NHL First Team All-Star (2012, 2015)
Can he win? Karlsson is perhaps the most dynamic offensive defenceman in the game of hockey today. That didn't save him in 2013-14, when he put up 74 points but had the apparently unforgivable sin of a minus-16 rating. However, as long as the plus/minus isn't too terrible, voters will tend to award any really good offensive defenceman, and Karlsson is better than even "really good" in that area.
Other candidates: Bobby Ryan and Mark Stone are both off to hot starts offensively, and either one might plausibly figure into end-of-season awards talk if their current paces continue.
Philadelphia Flyers: Michal Neuvirth
22 of 30
Stats line: 9 GP, 3-3-1 record, .939 save percentage
Previous awards: None.
Can he win? Probably not, no. However, right now, Neuvirth is the one thing keeping the Flyers from total disaster. Incumbent starter Steve Mason is still getting playing time, but his performance has been terrible; he has lost eight of 11 games played and his save percentage is hovering around .900. Neuvirth has stepped in and stolen games for a misfiring Philly team.
Other candidates: Normally, Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek would be at the forefront of these discussions, but a terrible slump for Voracek (one goal on 62 shots) has sunk both of them.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Evgeni Malkin
23 of 30
Stats line: 18 GP, 6G-10A-16PTS, 52.4 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: Hart Memorial Trophy (2012), Ted Lindsay Award (2012), Art Ross Trophy (2009, 2012), Conn Smythe Trophy (2009), Calder Memorial Trophy (2007), NHL First Team All-Star (2008, 2009, 2012), NHL All-Rookie Team (2007)
Can he win? Malkin's impressive trophy case is probably getting a little dusty. After cleaning up at the league's annual awards show in the summer of 2012, injury and poor performance have kept Malkin from being seriously considered for any individual honour. That may be about to change. On a Pittsburgh team struggling to get offence from its top stars, Malkin is suddenly all alone leading the way.
Other candidates: It isn't Sidney Crosby or Phil Kessel or Kris Letang who competes with Malkin for the Pens' MVP role these days. Instead, it is goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, whose .929 save percentage is a key reason that Pittsburgh is still competitive in the East.
St. Louis Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko
24 of 30
Stats line: 18 GP, 11G-7A-18PTS, 53.9 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: NHL Second All-Star Team (2015)
Can he win? With Jakub Voracek struggling mightily in Philadelphia, the obvious front-runners for the two All-Star positions at right wing are Tarasenko and Chicago's Patrick Kane. Tarasenko is averaging better than a goal every two games, which is an unreal pace in the modern NHL. Incredibly, he's doing it without a particularly inflated shooting percentage (14.9 percent as opposed to 14.0 percent on his career).
Other candidates: Defenseman Colton Parayko deserves mention here. He's not likely to get serious Norris consideration as a rookie but he's been phenomenal in the early going. Goaltender Jake Allen has a beautiful .934 save percentage through 13 games and seems to have wrested the starting job away from Brian Elliott.
San Jose Sharks: Joe Pavelski
25 of 30
Stats line: 18 GP, 10G-8A-18PTS, 55.6 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: NHL Second Team All-Star (2014)
Can he win? NHL awards voters are interesting creatures. Pavelski often gets serious Selke Trophy love, but he's very rarely a candidate for the All-Star team. He scored 41 goals and made it in 2014, but—and Hockey-Reference.com assures me of this—he's never received so much as a single vote in any other season. He scored 37 goals last year, and the response was crickets. Daniel Sedin scored 20 and got serious consideration. Mark Stone scored 26 times and got a first-team vote. Pavelski should certainly be considered, but that was true last year, too.
Other candidates: If Brent Burns can get his plus/minus fixed or Marc-Edouard Vlasic can pick up the scoring pace a little, either might be in the conversation.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman
26 of 30
Stats line: 19 GP, 1G-11A-12PTS, 56.3 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: None.
Can he win? Hedman's been an exceptional defenceman for years now, but last year he caught the attention of voters across the hockey world with a star-making turn in the Stanley Cup playoffs. His scoring is down a little to start the year, thanks in large part to a poor shooting percentage (2.6 percent), but that should come around in due time. And if it does, he'll be a factor in the voting.
Other candidates: It's been a disappointing year so far for most of the Bolts' top offensive players. Steven Stamkos has nine goals in 20 games (but just five assists).
Toronto Maple Leafs: James Reimer
27 of 30
Stats line: 12 GP, 6-2-3 record, .930 save percentage
Previous awards: None.
Can he win? Toronto started taking off after Reimer took advantage of an injury to Jonathan Bernier to push his way into the starting position. His numbers have been brilliant, and he's near the top of the goaltender leaderboard in several different categories. If he can save the Leafs' season, it's a certainty that voters will take notice.
Other candidates: Dion Phaneuf has quietly been good for Toronto. His reputation has fallen off dramatically in recent years, but he's repairing it somewhat this season.
Vancouver Canucks: Daniel Sedin
28 of 30
Stats line: 20 GP, 7G-11A-18PTS, 53.6 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: Ted Lindsay Award (2011), Art Ross Trophy (2011), NHL First Team All-Star (2011), NHL Second Team All-Star (2010)
Can he win? It's been a few years now since the Sedins were running roughshod over the league during the regular season, but nobody has forgotten what they are capable of doing. Daniel got votes at both left and right wing last season after a 76-point (but only 20-goal) campaign. If he can get back to 30-goal country, he'll be hard to overlook.
Other candidates: Vancouver's roster isn't exactly overflowing with All-Star material. Outside of this Sedin, the club's best bet at the moment is probably defenceman Alex Edler.
Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin
29 of 30
Stats line: 16 GP, 8G-8A-16PTS, 56.0 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: Hart Memorial Trophy (2008, 2009, 2013), Ted Lindsay Award (2008, 2009, 2010), Art Ross Trophy (2008), Maurice Richard Trophy (2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015), Calder Trophy (2006), NHL First Team All-Star (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015), NHL Second Team All-Star (2011, 2013, 2014), NHL All-Rookie Team (2006)
Can he win? See "Previous awards." Seriously.
Other candidates: Washington is flush with talent these days. Evgeny Kuznetsov is actually outscoring Ovechkin at the moment and warrants serious consideration at centre, as does Nicklas Backstrom, who missed the first few games of the year. John Carlson has established himself as a Norris Trophy candidate. Braden Holtby is a top goaltender. To make a long story short: The Capitals are an awfully fun team to watch.
Winnipeg Jets: Blake Wheeler
30 of 30
Stats line: 20 GP, 8G-13A-21PTS, 58.1 percent Corsi rating
Previous awards: None.
Can he win? Wheeler has been a good player for a long time, but he's really stepped into the limelight early this season. He's tied for fourth overall in NHL points scoring and is second only to Patrick Kane among right wings in that category. He's going to have his work cut out for him if he hopes to knock off either Kane or the Blues' Vladimir Tarasenko, though.
Other candidates: Bryan Little historically doesn't get a lot of attention from awards voters, in part because things are so competitive at centre, but he's having an excellent campaign in his own right with 18 points in 20 games.
All statistics courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com and current through the start of action on November 19.
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