Ever since the National Hockey League insisted on sending one representative from each of the 32 teams to the All-Star Game, there have been undeserving players. Despite Gary Bettman's insistence on getting every club involved, there simply isn't an All-Star on every roster every season. That's just the way it is.
In 2023-24, the San Jose Sharks are 10-29-3, and made franchise history by having two losing streak of 10 games or more. They'll have an All-Star in Toronto. The Columbus Blue Jackets have faded away into insignificance in magnificent fashion in the Eastern Conference, and their All-Star representative hasn't played an NHL game since Dec. 8. And the Washington Capitals, who don't have a player with more than 27 points, are sending a skater who is scoring at a 0.5 PPG clip north of the border in February.
Suffice it to say, it's probably high time to revamp the NHL's selection process. It ignores of the spirit of what the All-Star Game should be: genuine best-on-best competition. Enough with manufacturing false parity and send the best players; it will create a better and more engaging product for the fans.
Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon, who is again an All-Star this season, said it best in 2022 when Nazem Kadri was snubbed. “It's silly. I don't think every team should send a guy. It's an All-Star Game, not a Participation Game.”
In that spirit, let's get into the five most undeserving NHL All-Stars who will be headed to Toronto this February.
Elias Lindholm, Calgary Flames
After a career year in 2021-22 in which the Calgary Flames' biggest trade chip scored 82 points in 82 games, Elias Lindholm was good again last year, scoring 22 goals and 64 points on a Flames team that ended up missing the postseason. This time around, the 29-year-old has just eight goals and 28 points in 42 games, despite playing top line minutes with continued usage on the first powerplay unit.
Most of the players on this list just happen to be the best option on a weak team. But that actually isn't the case in Calgary, despite the club being 19-18-5 and sixth place in the Pacific Division. Blake Coleman is putting together a career year with a fantastic 18 goals and 35 points in 42 games. Yegor Sharangovich is fresh off a hat trick, has five goals in his last two games, and is already eclipsing career highs across the board with 17 goals and 30 points of his own. Even Nazem Kadri's 33 in 42 is better than Lindholm's production.
Not forgetting to mention that Lindholm is likely to be traded before the Mar. 8 deadline, as well as his minus-4 rating, he is clearly unworthy of an All-Star nod in 2024.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, Seattle Kraken
In Oliver Bjorkstrand's defense, he is probably the most worthy of the five unworthy NHL All-Stars on this list. The 28-year-old Dane struggled last year, putting up just 20 goals and 45 points in 81 games despite his Seattle Kraken marching within one win of the Western Conference Final in 2023.
But this season, Bjorkstrand has picked up his game significantly, to the tune of 31 points in 41 games. It isn't bad, and leads all Seattle forwards, but he has still scored only 11 goals. And Vince Dunn, who is a defenseman, has three more points in the same amount of games. The D-man is probably more deserving than the forward, although neither player makes a great case. Oliver Bjorkstrand is a good, clean, hard-working player. But he shouldn't be an All-Star this year.
Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals
Yes, the 0.5 PPG player is Tom Wilson. The hard-hitting forward has never scored more than 52 points in a season, and that came in 2021-22. He's nowhere close to those numbers with just 11 goals and 19 points in 38 games in 2023-24. That's just not very good.
I get that you can't really send Alex Ovechkin the way he's playing this year — The Great Eight has just eight goals — but Tom Wilson being included is just egregious. He's fourth in team scoring, is a minus-11 on the campaign, and already earned All-Star recognition back in 2022 when the festivities were in Paradise, Nevada. Wilson is maybe the least deserving NHL All-Star of 2024.
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
The fact that the San Jose Sharks are sending a representative at all is comical, although Tomas Hertl and Mikael Granlund were really the only two options in California. San Jose finally snapped a 12-game losing skid by squeaking by the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, but another losing streak is probably right around the corner.
Hertl has been an exceptional San Jose Shark throughout his career, being drafted by the team and never wavering. But again, he has 29 points in 41 games and is an absolutely despicable minus-25. The 30-year-old Czech native is an All-Star, yet there are players scoring at over a point-per-game clip who won't be included.
In a season that has been as truly bad as it has been for the Sharks, there's really no way to justify sending someone to the All-Star Game. Tomas Hertl is the most deserving player on his team, but that's not saying much.
Boone Jenner, Columbus Blue Jackets
And saving the best for last: Boone Jenner, who was having an excellent season before breaking his jaw on Dec. 8. The Blue Jackets captain hasn't played since, and currently sits seventh in team scoring.
Somehow, though, Jenner will represent Ohio at the 2024 ASG if he is healthy enough to participate when the time comes. And it makes sense; Johnny Gaudreau is in the midst of another brutal year, and his seven goals and 25 points in 42 games aren't anywhere near good enough. Probably, rookie Adam Fantilli should have gotten the nod after posting 24 points in his first 42 professional hockey games, but Jenner will be a good guy to have.
Still, the fact this club is sending a player who hasn't been in game action in over a month is ridiculous. It's high time for Gary Bettman and the NHL to again change the All-Star game format, and transform it from a participation game to a true collection of best-on-best talent. It's what the fans deserve.
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