The 2016-17 NHL All Star’s have been announced, and the Chicago Blackhawks are well represented in what should be another great event. While the team will send the normal guys, there is one Huge Blackhawks snub and there are some fans that are very upset over this.
Atlantic Division
| Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies |
|---|---|---|
| Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs | Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators | Carey Price (C), Montreal Canadiens |
| Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning | Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens | Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins |
| Vincent Trocheck, Florida Panthers | Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning | |
| Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins | ||
| Frans Nielsen, Detroit Red Wings | ||
| Kyle Okposo, Buffalo Sabres |
Metropolitan Division
| Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies |
|---|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby (C), Pittsburgh Penguins | Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets | Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals | Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers | Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals |
| Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers | Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes | |
| Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils | ||
| John Tavares, New York Islanders | ||
| Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins |
Central Division
| Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars | P.K. Subban (C), Nashville Predators | Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild |
| Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks | Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild | Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks |
| Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets | Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks | |
| Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche | ||
| Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues | ||
| Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks |
Pacific Division
| Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies |
|---|---|---|
| Connor McDavid (C), Edmonton Oilers | Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks | Mike Smith, Arizona Coyotes |
| Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings | Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings | Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks |
| Ryan Kesler, Anaheim Ducks | Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks | |
| Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames | ||
| Bo Horvat, Vancouver Canucks | ||
| Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks |
*Chart courtesy of SB Nation
As you can see, the Chicago Blackhawks will send mainstays Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Corey Crawford, but there is one HUGE name left off the list – Artemi Panarin.
Panarin is currently second on the team in points with 41, which has a nice spread of 17 goals and 24 assists. He is sixth in the league in points, and the only players in the Central with more points than Artemi are Kane and St Louis Blue, Vladimir Tarasenko.
Now, there are only so many spots to go around, and the Blackhawks were well represented, but how could one say Panarin didn’t belong? Then there is the case of his linemate, Artem Anisimov. While less of a case, he does lead the Blackhawks in goals (18) and 16 +/-.
https://twitter.com/BLAKEKONS/status/818889993695490048
Here's my problem w/all star selections. Toews doesn't deserve it. Panarin and Hossa do.
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) January 10, 2017
1. Toews over Panarin is a joke
2. Metro defense is by far the worst
3. If done the right way, Kessel and Letang should have both made it— Jake (@_j_a_k_e_d) January 10, 2017
#Blackhawks Artemi Panarin has the most points (41) among players not selected to the All-Star Game (tied with 6th-most points in the NHL).
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) January 10, 2017
Love that Wayne Simmonds is AllStar. Not sure how Panarin didn't get in.
— Billy Jaffe (@BJaffe) January 10, 2017
But then again, how can CHicago sports fans complain about an All Star game and underrepresentation?
