NHL All Star Draft: Our Picks

This is a hallowed time of year for fantasy hockey nerds, stats-lovers, and people who had nothing better to do with their time than sit and watch a roomful of men they don’t know pick each other for a rec game that doesn’t matter. And yes, that describes us at Bleedin’ Blue perfectly. (We’ve been talking about this game for weeks.)

On Friday the NHL will hold the All-Star Draft, and there is nothing we are looking to more. Barring, of course, St. Louis taking down every challenger in the playoffs. But for this week, we wanted to get in on that sweet, sweet fantasy draft action.

Kate and Brent’s NHL All Star Draft: 2015

Kate and Brent each picked their own Dream Team, a difficult thing to be sure if you’ve ever seen either of us order at a restaurant. After agonizing for hours, we created the following lines. (Ed. note: And we swear we didn’t see each others’ beforehand.)

Brent

I’m a huge stats guy so I generally make my picks based on performance over emotion.  It’s worked very well for me in horse racing (averaging a tri or superfecta each night at Fairmount Park).  But horses can’t be fined and don’t have outbursts like players.  So some of the players I cold-shoulder, who are otherwise impressive, I do so because of loyalty.  I’m looking at you, Brent Seabrook.

C – Tyler Seguin – First off, Dallas and its fans wowed me with their support of Steve Ott when he returned to Stars’ ice with a Blue Note on his chest.  Classy.  Seguin seems like the go-to choice here since he leads all NHL centers in points.  But, what makes him a great player to me isn’t just his points but that they are nearly split between goals and assists.  If you’re putting together an All-Star lineup, it makes sense to have a team player rather than one-man-wrecking-crew at the point.  And, you can’t forget the Dude Perfect Video:

RW – Vladimir Tarasenko – Blues loyalty aside, this guy just deserves it.  He may not be leading the Right Wing in points, but like Seguin his points are almost evenly divided between goals and helpers and he does have the most goals in his position.  Tarasenko has the ability to catch anyone off guard with his amazing puck-handling and plays like the team has one less man on the ice.  Tarasenko is also an all around great sport and keeps a cool head while on the ice.  He also had that goal that every hockey fan has seen.

LW – Alex Ovechkin – I like Rick Nash a lot better for this position but picked Ovechkin just for the novelty of having him and Tarasenko on the same line.  Ovechkin could benefit from some lessons in humility from Tarasenko, though.  I remember watching him put a mitt to, I think, Jaden Schwartz’s face before a TV timeout for no other reason than his own personal frustration.  Regardless I think these two would make a dynamic pair with excellent play-making communication.

D – Kevin Shattenkirk – Of course, right?  It is harder to compare defensemen using offensive stats since they have to do so much more on the ice.  Shattenkirk is not only a great defensive player but also an excellent playmaker as evident in his position leading assists.  Shattenkirk and Tarasenko roomed together during Tarasenko’s rookie season so the two already have chemistry and a great friendship that extends to the ice.  Overall the Double Deuce is a model sportsman and sturdy, dependable and injury free player.  He also has a great sense of humor when confronted by the league’s enforcers

D – Mark Giordano – If I could have picked Mark Streit for this one, I would have.  I don’t like going with the possible obvious number one choice.  However, I like it when a defenseman isn’t afraid to take a shot and Giordano has a high success rating with shots for his position.  These chances mean nothing, though, when a player is always in the box.  Giordano doesn’t receive as many penalties as other defensemen.  Pair this with his scoring percentage and you have a player that can keep his game under control.

G – Jaroslav Halak – A bit of this is loyalty to the former Blues Ace.  But let’s not forget that Jaro had a club-leading 11-game win streak in early December…which the Blues took away.  Sour grapes.  But Halak has always been a top-tier goaltender with league-leading save percentages over several seasons.  He may have gotten shaken up a little while with the Blues and didn’t get to join them in their playoff attempt, but he has landed on his feet and appears to be back.  Maybe he lets a few too many go by and his percentages have slipped but he’s still a goaltending benchmark.

Kate

Because I am what one might term a “sloppy perfectionist” I combed through old stats, videos and player comparisons before committing to anyone at any position…and in doing so I ended up with a team that was actually slightly older than I was hoping for. Hence the sloppy part. Despite their clearly advanced ages (and use of walkers to get around the ice) I’m confident they’ll stand the test of one game together.

Live Feed

Blue Line Station

RW – Vladimir Tarasenko –  Tarasenko has more than earned his place in the All-Star game. After improving his speed during the offseason, he’s an offensive force to reckon with.  He makes nearly-impossible shots look easy, and will be an offensively-gifted complement to my defensive-minded center. And, like Brent mentioned: that goal. That goal.

C – Jonathan Toews – I’m a gigantic Sidney Crosby fan, and the more I watch and play hockey, the more I appreciate him. As you can imagine, my friends and family were shocked when I didn’t go with Crosby for my 1C. I’ll put him as my 2C instead and create my dream line of Ovechkin-Crosby-Malkin, but that’s a story for a different day. What Jonathan Toews lacks in skill (and he doesn’t lack a lot) he makes up in abundance for with his support of teammates and some pretty phenomenal defensive play. He backchecks like nobody’s business, and while he can score a goal or two, to me, the real value is in his ability to shut down plays coming out of the offensive zone.

LW – Alex Ovechkin – If your C is your third defender, you absolutely have to have two goal-hungry wings. Ovechkin is a natural left-winger who plays his best offense when he has no more responsibilities than to put the puck on net. While his play has a streaky element to it, I trust that having the top defenders behind him will make up for his occasional lack of backchecking. And remember that amazing camera-shattering shot from a few nights ago? Who wouldn’t want that on their team?

D – Kevin Shattenkirk – What can I say? Shattenkirk has proven over and over again that he’s taken his game to the next level this year. He might not have the reach of Zdeno Chara or a shot as powerful as Shea Weber, but he’s got good hands and can put a heck of a shot on net. I think paired with a forceful defenseman, giving him the opportunity to float up a little more, he’ll be a solid investment.

D – Shea Weber – With Shattenkirk in mind, I chose Shea Weber for my final defender. He has one of the most powerful shots in the league, is a veteran defender, and is good at leading, whether it be in an official capacity or not. Shattenkirk still needs a little mentoring to reach his full potential, as well as a D-partner who is an absolute bruising force. Weber can do all that in his sleep.

G – Jaroslav Halak – This was a pretty easy choice. The Islanders are currently no. 1 in the Metropolitan division, and that is due in large part to this guy’s performance. He is an elite goaltender, performs well under pressure, has a quick eye and even quicker glove. He’s got 4 shutouts under his belt and plays hard, no matter what the game or competition. Even if he’s not as amazing as he used to be when with the Blues, his benchmark for bad is significantly higher than most others’ good.

Who are your All-Star Draft picks? Let us know in the comments.