Auston Matthews will take on the role of unofficial host of the All-Star festivities in Toronto next month.
Not only was the NHL's leading scorer selected to represent the Maple Leafs in the inaugural All-Star selection announced Thursday night, but multiple industry sources say Matthews will serve as one of four team captains for an event at Scotiabank Arena on April 1. until February 3rd.
The NHL has eliminated the divisional format for All-Star Weekend, instead letting captains select their own teams for the 3-on-3 tournament. This draft will be televised to kick off the weekend, along with a presentation from PWHL players. While the NHL isn't expected to name official captains until later this month, Matthews and Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid have already agreed to lead two of the teams, according to sources.
The league is also revamping the format for its skills competition, and Matthews has signed on to be one of 12 players vying for a $1 million prize, which will now be offered to whoever accumulates the most points in eight events.
That promises the former Hart Trophy winner will be the center of attention during Toronto's first All-Star Weekend since 2000.
Matthews has now been voted an All-Star in all seven NHL seasons in which he was eligible to play. On Wednesday, he scored his 30th goal of the season in overtime to give the Leafs a win over Anaheim – moving three players ahead of Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov at the top of the league standings entering Thursday's game – and then spoke to reporters about the Prospect of representing the Leafs in his own backyard.
“Because it’s in Toronto, it’s a special event,” he said. “So I definitely don’t take it for granted. I’m sure we have a lot of guys who deserve to go.”
The Leafs aren't alone in this regard, but they'll need the fans' help to bring in another representative or two. The NHL selected one player from each of the 32 teams, and the remaining 12 All-Star spots were decided via online voting.
That made William Nylander one of the most notable omissions, as Matthews' teammate was fifth overall in the league standings with 51 points entering Thursday. New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin was one place higher on the NHL scoring list but was passed over in favor of Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
The format also ensured that McDavid's Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl needed fans' help to get in and ensured that Quinn Hughes was the only Vancouver Canucks player automatically admitted, although Elias Pettersson, JT Miller, Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko All-Star worthy campaigns.
The league's second-leading scorer, Nathan MacKinnon, was named to represent the Colorado Avalanche – leaving teammates Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar dependent on fan support to book a trip to Toronto.
Finally, Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Adin Hill, who had the NHL's best save percentage of .933 entering Thursday, was left off the inaugural All-Stars list because Vegas Golden Knights teammate Jack Eichel got the nod instead .
Complete list of Eastern Conference players
- Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak, F
- Buffalo saber: 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
Complete 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)