Auston Matthews is set to play the role of unofficial host for next month’s All-Star festivities in Toronto.
Not only was the NHL’s leading goal scorer selected as the Maple Leafs’ representative during the first batch of All-Star selections announced Thursday night, but multiple industry sources say that Matthews will serve as one of the four team captains for an event being held at Scotiabank Arena from Feb. 1-3.
The NHL has scrapped the divisional format for All-Star weekend and will instead have captains draft their own teams for the 3-on-3 tournament. That draft will be televised to kick off the weekend along with a showcase of PWHL players. While the NHL isn’t expected to formally name the captains until later this month, Matthews and Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid have already agreed to lead two of the teams, according to the sources.
The league is also revamping the format for its skills competition and Matthews has signed on to be one of the 12 players vying for a $1 million prize now being offered up to the individual who accumulates the most points across eight events.
That promises to keep the former Hart Trophy winner front and center throughout the first All-Star weekend held in Toronto since 2000.
Matthews has now been selected as an All-Star in all seven NHL seasons where he’s been eligible. On Wednesday he scored his 30th goal of the campaign in overtime to give the Leafs a win over Anaheim — putting him three clear of Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov atop the league standings entering play Thursday — and spoke to reporters afterwards about the prospect of representing the Leafs in his own backyard.
“With it being in Toronto, it’s a special event,” he said. “So, I definitely don’t take it for granted. I’m sure we got a lot of guys deserving to go.”
The Leafs aren’t alone in that regard, but they’ll need the help of the fans to get another representative or two into the game. The NHL selected one player from each of the 32 teams, with the remaining 12 All-Star spots to be decided by an online vote.
That made William Nylander one of the most notable omissions because Matthews’ teammate sat fifth overall in league scoring with 51 points entering play on Thursday. New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin sat one spot higher on the NHL’s scoring chart, but was passed over in favor of Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
The format also left McDavid’s Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl needing the help of the fans to get in and ensured Quinn Hughes was the only Vancouver Canucks player with an automatic entry even though Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko were also having All-Star-worthy campaigns.
The league’s second-leading scorer, Nathan MacKinnon, was tabbed to represent the Colorado Avalanche — leaving teammates Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar in need of fan support in order to book a trip to Toronto.
Finally, Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Adin Hill, who sported the NHL’s best save percentage at .933 entering play Thursday, was left off the initial list of All-Stars because Vegas Golden Knights teammate Jack Eichel earned the nod instead.
Full list of Eastern Conference players
- Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak, F
- Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Dahlin, D
- Carolina Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho, F
- Columbus Blue Jackets: Boone Jenner, F
- Detroit Red Wings: Alex DeBrincat, F
- Florida Panthers: Sam Reinhart, F
- Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki, F
- New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes, F
- New York Islanders: Mathew Barzal, F
- New York Rangers: Igor Shesterkin, G
- Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk, F
- Philadelphia Flyers: Travis Konecny, F
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby, F
- Tampa Bay Lightning: Nikita Kucherov, F
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews, F
- Washington Capitals: Tom Wilson, F
Full list of Western Conference players
- Anaheim Ducks: Frank Vatrano, F
- Arizona Coyotes: Clayton Keller, F
- Calgary Flames: Elias Lindholm, F
- Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard, F
- Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, F
- Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger, G
- Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid, F
- Los Angeles Kings: Cam Talbot, G
- Minnesota Wild: Kirill Kaprizov, F
- Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg, F
- San Jose Sharks: Tomas Hertl, F
- St. Louis Blues: Robert Thomas, F
- Seattle Kraken: Oliver Bjorkstrand, F
- Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes, D
- Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel, F
- Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck, G
Required reading
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
