We know exactly what all of you are thinking: “I’m really excited about the Olympics, but boy, do I wish the NHL was holding an All-Star Game instead.”
Fret not. We have you covered with this week’s edition of the Power Rankings where we pick this year’s All-Star class. The rules follow the NHL’s from the last game: 44 players with eight goalies to create four teams of 11. Simple enough, until we had to make sure there was at least one guy from every team, which created some difficult choices. Auston Matthews? Kyle Connor? Wyatt Johnston? Who needs those guys when you can have whoever the best player from Calgary is this season!
Thank goodness for actual best-on-best hockey coming in less than a month’s time. For today, we mourn what could’ve been with our fake All-Star Game. Here’s who we’re sending.
1. Colorado Avalanche, 33-4-8
Last week: 1
Sean: 1
Dom: 1
All-Stars: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Nečas, Cale Makar
Have Connor McDavid’s 20-game point streak and Macklin Celebrini’s teenage mega-leap caused MacKinnon to lose ground in the Hart Trophy race? Sure, but he’s still just one point behind the former and 10 ahead of the latter.
Nečas, meanwhile, is tied with MacKinnon and Mark Scheifele for the most even-strength points in the league since Dec. 1, with 20, and Cale Makar remains Cale Makar; his Net Rating of plus-17 is best among defensemen. A shocker, no doubt.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning, 29-13-3
Last week: 2
Sean: 2
Dom: 2
All-Stars: Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy
With the way the Lightning have played lately, they could’ve sent a number of guys. Darren Raddysh is one of the highest scoring players in the league over the last month. But a slow start for many means it’s just Kucherov and Vasilevskiy — the ol’ reliables for Tampa Bay. Those two remain the reason the Lightning are the class of the East with Kucherov scoring 67 points in 41 games (fourth) and Vasilevskiy earning a .915 save percentage (fourth among starters).
3. Carolina Hurricanes, 28-15-4
Last week: 5
Sean: 5
Dom: 3
All-Star: Sebastian Aho
Andrei Svechnikov’s slow start and Seth Jarvis’ since-healed injury mean that Aho is the only Hurricane to deserve real consideration. That feels weird for a division leader, but whatever. Aho is basically a point-per-game player, and his rate stats (1.1 goals per 60, 1.29) are almost identical to last season’s. That kind of consistency counts for plenty.
4. Buffalo Sabres, 26-16-4
Last week: 10
Sean: 3
Dom: 6
All-Star: Tage Thompson
It was really nice of Thompson to put a stamp on his fake All-Star nod with a vintage Tage performance scoring three goals and two assists in a one-man victory over Montreal on Thursday. He’s starting to look like the dominant presence he showed to be in 2022-23 and is on pace for 45 goals and 87 points. That would be his third 40-goal season.
5. Dallas Stars, 27-12-9
Last week: 3
Sean: 6
Dom: 4
All-Stars: Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen
On the NHL’s website, you can filter stats by a player’s nationality. If that functionality magically disappears at the start of February, don’t be surprised. Yes, indeed, Robertson still leads Americans in points (56) and is tied for first place in goals (26).
Rantanen is a no-brainer, as well. He’s now leading the league in power-play points (non-Edmonton Oilers division).
6. Vegas Golden Knights, 23-11-12
Last week: 11
Sean: 4
Dom: 7
All-Star: Jack Eichel
With the second-highest average Game Score in the league, Mark Stone, in some ways, might be having the best season of any of our omissions. Alas, he’s missed 16 games. Eichel, meanwhile, is coming off consecutive three-assist nights and scored a game-winner on Thursday that made Mitch Marner very happy. That should count for two!
Mitch Marner was fired up after Jack Eichel’s overtime winner over Toronto! pic.twitter.com/LmDcJ4Ll0J
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 16, 2026
Vegas, by the way, has won six straight. This is after losing five straight and nine of 10.
7. Minnesota Wild, 26-13-9
Last week: 4
Sean: 7
Dom: 5
All-Stars: Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Quinn Hughes
Was three All-Stars too much from Minnesota? It felt like it after a demoralizing loss to the Jets on Thursday, but it’s really tough to leave any of these three off. Kaprizov and Boldy are both top 20 in points while Hughes sits sixth in points among defensemen. The Wild have entered the rarified air that Colorado and Edmonton usually live in: too many good players to leave off.
8. Detroit Red Wings, 28-16-4
Last week: 7
Sean: 8
Dom: 8
All-Stars: Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider
Remember that “sort by nationality” option we brought up regarding Robertson? It shines upon DeBrincat, too. His 24 goals this season are fourth among American players. Seider remains an absolute no-brainer. Detroit’s offensive results with him have dipped a bit lately, but that’s due to a shooting percentage of 2.6 percent (!) in the last seven games. We offer our apologies to Lucas Raymond, who popped up on our initial list of potential selections.
9. Montreal Canadiens, 26-15-7
Last week: 6
Sean: 9
Dom: 9
All-Stars: Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson
During the team’s rebuild, Montreal’s representatives at the All-Star Game were mostly made to appease a criteria rather than being actually earned. Not so this season for a Canadiens team that sits firmly in the league’s top 10. Nick Suzuki has been one of the league’s best centers while Lane Hutson is proving last year was no fluke with 45 points in 47 games. This year, the Canadiens’ All-Stars have earned their fake spots.
10. Pittsburgh Penguins, 22-14-10
Last week: 8
Sean: 10
Dom: 10
All-Star: Sidney Crosby
If Crosby was in the NBA, being named to his 10th All-Star Game in 2024 would be a pretty big deal. Here, all it got was a shrug. Part of that is because the selection process doesn’t actually select the best players, rendering the accolade hollow. Still, we know Crosby isn’t getting any pity invites and it’s incredible that even at the ripe age of 38, he’s still playing at such a high level. He’s the easy choice for Pittsburgh every time.
11. New York Islanders, 26-16-5
Last week: 12
Sean: 11
Dom: 11
All-Stars: Matthew Schaefer, Ilya Sorokin
The next All-Star Game was supposed to be at UBS Arena and for our purposes we’re going to pretend the Islanders are hosting our fake shindig. You know what that means: one extra representative as a treat for the Islanders faithful. Not that Schaefer and Sorokin didn’t earn it on their own accord, but when the criteria demands room for some guy from Seattle, inclusion becomes tougher.
Sorokin has been a brick wall, but the real treat would’ve been seeing Schaefer challenge for fastest skater at the skills competition. We think he has an above-average chance in that event.
12. Toronto Maple Leafs, 23-16-8
Last week: 14
Sean: 12
Dom: 12
All-Star: William Nylander
Sorry Auston, but if you wanted to make our All-Star Game you should’ve showed up a little earlier than late December. It’s tough to give a non-playoff team two of the 44 spots, so it’s just one Leaf going and that has to be Nylander. He picked up two points last night to bring his total to 48 in 37 games, the highest pace of his career.
13. Utah Mammoth, 24-20-4
Last week: 19
Sean: 13
Dom: 14
All-Star: Clayton Keller
He hasn’t quite followed up on his 90-point 2024-25, but Keller has still probably been Utah’s best player. Dylan Guenther (1.67 goals per 60) and Nick Schmaltz (a plus-9.9 Net Rating, identical to Keller) got a look, too.
14. Edmonton Oilers, 23-17-8
Last week: 9
Sean: 15
Dom: 13
All-Stars: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard
McDavid’s point streak ended at 20 games on Thursday night. He’s lucky we already put in the order for our fake All-Star jerseys. We talked about this on “The Athletic Hockey Show” earlier in the day, but the lack of attention paid to that streak is pretty funny.
“It’s not an All-Star Game,” is standard rationale for leaving Bouchard off the Olympic roster. We’ve got some good news!
Congrats to Draisaitl, too, for this fake honor, and for this NHL.com headline from Jan. 11: “Draisaitl honored by Oilers for 1,000th NHL point, family dog attends.”
15. San Jose Sharks, 24-19-3
Last week: 17
Sean: 14
Dom: 16
All-Star: Macklin Celebrini
On Thursday morning, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said Celebrini would get his Hart Trophy vote. “Go even-strength points for the San Jose Sharks, look at what he has and then the next closest person,” Carbery said. At the time, Celebrini had 40 to Tyler Toffoli’s 20.
“That’s not a slight against the rest of his group,” Carbery said. “It’s just a compliment of how incredible of a season he is having and how impactful he is for the San Jose Sharks.”
Then, Celebrini went out and got point No. 41 against Carbery’s team in a 3-2 Sharks win.
Between-the-legs AND no-look pass from Macklin Celebrini 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/Ogr0m27Jc1
— NHL (@NHL) January 16, 2026
16. Florida Panthers, 24-18-3
Last week: 18
Sean: 18
Dom: 15
All-Star: Brad Marchand
We considered giving some reverence to the defending two-time champs with two representatives, but … eh. With the exception of Marchand, who looks rejuvenated in Florida with 46 points in 41 games, the Panthers look painfully mid.
17. Washington Capitals, 24-18-6
Last week: 16
Sean: 16
Dom: 17
All-Stars: Tom Wilson, Logan Thompson
Wilson was a point-per-game player in his first 41 games and should return from his lower-body injury on Saturday against the Florida Panthers. That’s good news for the Caps and Team Canada.
Thompson wasn’t at his best on Thursday, but he’s still second in the league in save percentage among goalies with at least 20 starts (.915) and behind only Sorokin in goals saved above expected (35.1). He’s been Washington’s MVP, and he should be Canada’s starter in Milan.
18. Boston Bruins, 27-19-2
Last week: 21
Sean: 17
Dom: 18
All-Star: David Pastrnak
Pastrnak hadn’t scored a goal during Boston’s recent hot streak until Thursday night. That six-assist game against the Rangers gave him a pass, though. The Bruins, winners of five straight, wake up Friday in a wild-card spot based on both points and points percentage.
It’s wild to think that Pastrnak is the Bruins’ rep here, given that Morgan Geekie had 25 goals on Dec. 20. The issue: Geekie has 25 goals on Jan. 16.
19. Philadelphia Flyers, 22-16-8
Last week: 13
Sean: 19
Dom: 19
All-Star: Dan Vladar
“Flyers All-Star goaltender” was such a jarring thought that we needed to check the historical context — and, indeed, Vladar could have joined Ron Hextall (1988) and Roman Cechmanek (2001) as the only guys to fit that bill during Sidney Crosby’s lifetime. That’s a comparison chosen at random.
Unfortunately, this is neither a real game nor a real honor, and Vladar (.905 save percentage, 15.8 GSAx) will have to settle for playing for Czechia at the Olympics … assuming he’s good to go. We did our best to include Trevor Zegras in our fake three-on-three tournament but couldn’t quite manage.
20. Seattle Kraken, 21-16-9
Last week: 15
Sean: 20
Dom: 21
All-Star: Philipp Grubauer
Picking just one guy off the Seattle “somehow-on-pace-for-91-points” Kraken was shockingly difficult. We’re going to go with the guy who was on waivers last year only to look like one of the league’s best goalies over the last month. Grubauer’s renaissance has been awesome to witness and he would be a genuinely great All-Star story.
21. New Jersey Devils, 24-21-2
Last week: 23
Sean: 21
Dom: 20
All-Star: Jack Hughes
This is actually just a return invitation for 2024 All-Star coach Tate McRae.
22. Los Angeles Kings, 19-16-11
Last week: 20
Sean: 22
Dom: 22
All-Star: Darcy Kuemper
Has Kuemper been All-Star worthy? Ehhhhhhhhhhh. Has any other King been worthy? Definitely not. Kuemper it is.
23. Nashville Predators, 22-20-4
Last week: 22
Sean: 24
Dom: 23
All-Star: Juuse Saros
A tried and true strategy for fulfilling the one-per-team obligation: when in doubt, just pick the goalie. It’s tough on bad teams when no one is all that deserving, and while we could’ve gone with Ryan O’Reilly, picking Saros meant saving room for a more deserving skater. Saros has been … fine. Nothing less, nothing more.
24. Columbus Blue Jackets, 21-19-7
Last week: 25
Sean: 23
Dom: 24
All-Star: Zach Werenski
We may never agree on just how good a defensive player Werenski is (or is not), but his overall impact is undeniable. Only Makar has a better Offensive Rating among D-men than Werenski’s plus-11.9. Makar has the edge in points (53-51), but Werenski has him beat in goals (18-14). The Net Rating gap of 5.3 between Werenski and No. 2 on the Blue Jackets (Charlie Coyle) is the biggest on any team outside of San Jose.
25. Ottawa Senators, 22-19-5
Last week: 28
Sean: 25
Dom: 25
All-Star: Tim Stützle
With Brady Tkachuk missing a lot of time and busy podcasting, Stützle is the obvious pick from the Senators. He’s on track for the second point-per-game season of his career.
26. Chicago Blackhawks, 19-21-7
Last week: 24
Sean: 26
Dom: 27
All-Star: Connor Bedard
One of the easiest picks to make from any team. Bedard has seriously levelled up this season, playing well enough to make his exclusion from Team Canada feel like a mistake. His game-breaking offense on an otherwise poor team has been the headline, but it’s been the details all over the ice that have pushed Bedard into the superstar stratosphere this year.
27. Winnipeg Jets, 19-22-5
Last week: 32
Sean: 27
Dom: 26
All-Star: Mark Scheifele
With identical stat lines going into Thursday’s game, picking between Scheifele and Kyle Connor was not an easy choice. Then Scheifele put up a four-point game in a dominant win to make the decision a lot easier. That feels only fair: one gets to go to the Olympics and one gets to go to our fake All-Star Game.
28. St. Louis Blues, 18-21-8
Last week: 27
Sean: 28
Dom: 28
All-Star: Jordan Binnington
Another star-studded team Binnington didn’t deserve to make. Consider this a punishment to the rest of the Blues; the rest of them have been so bad that we might as well pick the team’s tank commander.
29. Anaheim Ducks, 22-21-3
Last week: 30
Sean: 29
Dom: 29
All-Star: Leo Carlsson
A month ago the Ducks might have had a few players deserving of selection. Now, it’s picking between three just-OK options. Carlsson is the leader of the pack with 43 points in 44 games, though that’s a steep drop-off from his red-hot start when he had 34 points in his first 25 games. Do the math and Carlsson has scored just nine in 19 since.
30. Calgary Flames, 20-23-4
Last week: 29
Sean: 30
Dom: 30
All-Star: Nazem Kadri
His age, his contract and the Flames’ apparent delusions have thrown a wet blanket on those trade rumors, but Kadri (32 points in 47 games) remains their best player, which makes him one of the fakest All-Stars in the fakest All-Star Game.
31. New York Rangers, 20-22-6
Last week: 26
Sean: 26
Dom: 31
All-Star: Artemi Panarin
Not a lot has gone right for the Rangers, but at the very least they still have Panarin, who has scored 51 points in 47 games. Now to take a big sip of water and check how long he’s signed for.
32. Vancouver Canucks, 16-26-5
Last week: 31
Sean: 32
Dom: 32
All-Star: Filip Hronek
Since the Quinn Hughes trade, Hronek is tied for first on the team in points (11), and the Canucks have outscored opponents 11-10 with him on the ice. It’s hard not to feel bad for him.