Top 15 NHL All-Star Snubs 2011

The NHL will open its All-Star fan balloting November 15, having already named the 100 players to be on the ballot. There are 18 goaltenders, 29 defenders, and 53 forwards, and every team in the NHL is represented. As usual, with all All-Star games in any sport, there are players who we feel are deserving and fail to make the cut. Let's take a look at our top 15 snubs for the 2011 NHL All-Star game.

Honorable Mentions: Sergei Bobrovsky and Brandon Dubinsky

Brandon Dubinsky

Bobrovsky is one of the main reasons the Flyers sit atop the Atlantic division. He has 9 wins in 12 games, to go along with a 2.09 GAA and .931 save percentage. He definitely deserves a spot in this game.

Brandon Dubinsky has been on fire for the New York Rangers, lighting the lamp 10 times in 16 games, including 2 short-handed goals.

15. Mike Ribeiro

Mike Ribeiro

Ribeiro has been consistent for an average Dallas team this year, averaging a point per game in 14 contests. His goal scoring will increase as a very talented Dallas continues to improve this year.

14. Rene Bourque

Rene Bourque

Rene Bourque is the only player on the Calgary Flames averaging at least a point per game. He's scored a hat trick this year, and the Flames are 3-1 when he scores. He definitely deserves a spot on the ballot.

13. Andrew Ladd

Andrew Ladd

Andrew Ladd is the leading scorer on his team (tied with Dustin Byfuglien) with 16 points in 16 games. He's also lit the lamp 6 times and has one of the highest plus-minuses on his team. He's steadily improving and deserves to have his name on the ballot.

12. Jason Arnott

Jason Arnott

With Parise out, Arnott has taken over scoring duties on the league's worst team. He's got 6 goals and 9 points in 16 games, and leads his team in powerplay goals. He definitely deserves a spot.

11. Jimmy Howard

Jimmy Howard

The Red Wings goaltender is purely outshone by his stellar teammates, or he would for sure warrant a spot on the ballot. He has 8 wins in 10 games, to go along with a 2.26 GAA and a .919 save percentage. He also had a shut-out against an Anaheim team whose powerplay is ranked 8th in the league.

10. Kris Letang

Kris Letang

This one is really shocking to me. Letang is a defenseman averaging almost a point per game (15 in 16 games) with a +6 rating, and a game-winning goal. Kris Letang needs to be on the ballot.

9. Claude Giroux

Claude Giroux

Claude Giroux leads a very talented Philadelphia Flyers team in scoring, ahead of players like Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. No disrespect to those players, but their teammate Giroux who is averaging a point per game, leads the league with 3 shorties, and is second on his team in assists, is definitely worthy of a spot on the ballot.

8. Dustin Brown/Justin Williams

Dustin Brown

The LA Kings captain got snubbed for the All-Star game? His team is first in their conference, and the 26-year old Brown has scored 7 goals in 14 games. His teammate Justin Williams, leads the Kings in scoring with 15 points in 14 games, and is tied for first on the team with a plus-minus of 7. How either of these two were left off the roster is mind boggling.

7. Lubomir Visnovsky

Lubomir Visnovsky

Visnovsky is clearly the number 1 defenseman on the Ducks and for good reason. He's got 14 points in 17 games with a +2 rating (good for 3rd on the team). He's also logging 25:15 minutes per game (most on the team) and is a good reason why Anaheim is currently the 5th seed in the Western Conference.

6. Ryan Kesler

Ryan Kesler

Ryan Kesler's got 10 points in 15 games (including 3 powerplay goals), but his offensive presence is not the only reason why he is so valuable to the Canucks. He averages 20:12 minutes per game and is a consistent solid performer on Vancouver's 11th ranked penalty kill.

5. Nathan Horton

Great eyebrows- Nathan Horton

He might have funny looking eyebrows, but he leads a surging Boston team with 13 points in 13 games. Boston is 5th in the East, but they've got 3 games on the East Conference leading Washington Capitals. Horton's career high in goals is 31, but look for him to either duplicate or increase that total this year.

4. Brent Burns

Brent Burns

If anyone on Minnesota other than Koivu or Backstom deserves to make the All Star Game, it should be Brent Burns. He's a defenseman who's tied for 3rd on his team in points, and leads his team in goals. Brent Burns should be a shoe-in for the ballot.

3. Loui Eriksson

Loui Eriksson is one of the most underrated players in the NHL. Capable of putting up 30 goals during any season (as we've seen in the past) he currently leads his team with 9 goals and is second in points with 16. He has wowed us so far in the season with back-to-back 2 goal games, as well as his soft-hand highlights.

2. Chris Stewart

Chris Stewart

Not only is Chris Stewart the leading scorer on his team in both goals and points (10 goals, 17 points in 14 games) but he's 7th in the league in points per game (1.21). He definitely needs to be on the ballot, but at the young age of 23, he's got a great future.

1. Derek Boogaard/ Raitis Ivanans

Undoubtedly an electric goal scorer, Derek Boogaard scored his first goal of the season this week, and his first in 200 + games. Look for more to come from this lighting fast winger.

Ivanans is a solid -1 in 1 game for the Flames this year after his fight with Steve MacIntyre earlier this year knocked him out. He'll be back and producing in no time- should be a shoe-in for the All-Star Ballot.

1. Alexander Semin

Alexander Semin

You knew that last slide couldn't be serious. Alexander Semin, I believe is the number one snub for the All-Star game. He's second on his team in points, has scored more goals than Alex Ovechkin, scored a hat trick in the third period alone against the Lightning, has a solid +8 rating, and has scored 4 times on the power play and once on the penalty kill this year. If 21 points in 16 games isn't enough to get you on the All-Star ballot, I don't know what is.