Nate MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche is likely not alone in his frustration with the All-Star selection process. With most of the roster named Thursday, there were many noticeably absent names as the league attempted to get at least one person per team into the game. MacKinnon, who did get a spot, appears to believe the process is flawed after teammate Nazem Kadri, who is currently fourth in the league for points, didn't make it.
"It's silly. I don't think every team should send a guy. ... It's an All-Star Game, not a Participation Game," said MacKinnon.
MacKinnon went on to say the Avs should have five or six guys headed to the event. He also made sure to add that Colorado shouldn't have had anyone go in 2017. He represented the team then as well.
Another noticeably absent name was Boston's Brad Marchand. Patrice Bergeron was given the spot instead. Marchand said Friday that he had no problem with that and praised Bergeron as a teammate and player. That said, Marchand is the Bruins leader in points this season and seventh overall in the league. It really doesn't make sense that he didn't get the spot. There are candidates for "Last Man In" voting. McAvoy is the candidate for Boston. Kadri does have a chance to be voted in. According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, the initial selections are made by the NHL's Hockey Operations Department.
MacKinnon thinks the #Avs should have "five or six" guys. He also mentioned he didn't think the #Avs deserved an All Star in 2017 when he went to the game.— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) January 14, 2022
Just a reminder on how NHL All Star rosters work: they are selected by NHL Hockey Operations.
That department (Colin Campbell, Kris King) isn't necessarily looking at players that are the most marketable or what makes sense from an entertainment perspective.— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) January 13, 2022
