Recently, the NHL announced the 12 winners of the All-Star Fan Vote. Those dozen players (eight skaters and four goalies) join the 32 previously selected players (28 skaters and four goalies) to comprise the rosters for the 2024 All-Star Game, which will take place Feb. 3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
While Edmonton Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl was among the fans’ picks, his teammate Zach Hyman was not, even though he belongs on the ice with the best in the game.
At age 31, Hyman is having the finest season of his NHL career. The multi-faceted winger leads the Oilers in goals (28), plus/minus (plus-14) and shots (155) and is tied for first on the team in power-play goals (nine) and game-winning goals (four).
He has never been more deserving of an All-Star selection, and this is probably the best shot he’ll ever have at receiving an invite to the midseason classic. It would have been a wonderful story for the Toronto native to make his All-Star debut in his hometown in the arena where he spent his first six seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But the NHL’s All-Star selection process stacks the deck against players like Hyman, who have superstar teammates and may not be as well known.
How NHL All-Stars Are Selected
A total of 44 players will suit up for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, which consists of four teams competing in three-on-three games (two semi-finals with the winners meeting in the final). The first 32 players were chosen by the league’s Hockey Operations Departments, one from each team, with Connor McDavid getting the nod to represent the Oilers.
The final 12 were decided by fan balloting via the league’s website and app, as well as on X (formerly Twitter). The top four goalies and top eight skaters won the vote.
This process checks two boxes, providing fans the opportunity to vote for their favourites while ensuring every NHL team has at least one All-Star. There’s also a third box that goes unchecked: making sure the most deserving players are included in the All-Star Game.
Where The All-Star Selection Process Goes Wrong
The selection process works so that even the second-best player in the world could be excluded from the All-Star Game. It’s an extreme example but not far-fetched. If the top two players in the NHL are on the same team (which has arguably been the case with the Oilers in some years), the best player is selected by the league’s Hockey Operations, which means the second-best player must finish among the top eight skaters or top four goalies in the Fan Vote. But fans are more likely to vote for their favourite players and not necessarily the best or most deserving of being named an All-Star.
Thus, when this year’s Fan Vote winners were unveiled on Jan. 13, Hyman was absent despite being fifth in the league in goals at the time.
What Would Fix The All-Star Process
It’s long been said that the All-Star Game is “for the fans”, and while that may ring hollow now, the Fan Vote has been and always will be part of the process, as it should. However, what’s undeniable is that the All-Star Game has become an exercise in branding and marketing, which is why every team is guaranteed a representative.
This year’s game will include around a dozen forwards who aren’t even among the NHL’s top 50 point leaders. Do they deserve to be there? Maybe not, but they will now be considered “All-Stars”, which will make them more marketable in the future.
Fan balloting isn’t going away, nor is the mandatory rep from each team. But there are ways for more deserving players to be selected for the All-Star Game:
Option 1: Expand the Rosters
Each of the four teams in the 2024 All-Star Game will consist of nine skaters and two goaltenders. Even if the NHL increased the number of skaters by just one per team, that would mean an additional four selections.
Granted, under the current three-on-three mini-game format, ice time is scarce, and that’s why a roster of nine skaters that can be neatly divided into three-man units makes sense. But, it’s worth sacrificing a few shifts for each player if it means more deserving players will be recognized as All-Stars.
Option 2: Fans Vote on Mandatory All-Stars
Instead of Hockey Operations selecting the initial 32 All-Stars, let that be decided by the fans, who can vote for their favourite from each NHL team. This not only gives fans a bigger voice but also leaves the final selections to be decided by Hockey Operations, thus guaranteeing that at least the top 12 players in the NHL will be named All-Stars.
Option 3: Reduce Number of Fan-Selected Players
The NHL could keep its selection process, but instead of letting fans vote on the final 12 All-Stars, limit that number to six (four skaters, two goaltenders). Once those six players are determined via Fan Vote, the remaining four skaters and two goaltenders could be decided by Hockey Operations. Even though it’s only six spots, it’s still enough for the NHL to prevent the most egregious omissions.
Related: Oilers’ Hyman Deserves More Praise For Incredible Start to Season
Any of the above options would mean there was a very good chance that Hyman would be on a flight to Toronto seated next to Draisaitl and McDavid. In fact, it could be that Hyman was going instead of Draisaitl, but that’s a whole other article.
You’ll never hear Hyman complain about his All-Star snub. He’s too classy and team-oriented to say anything. Ironically, it’s that kind of character and consummate professionalism that makes him even more worthy of being an All-Star. What the league might not recognize and what fans in other markets might not realize, Oil Country knows: By any measure, Hyman is one of the NHL’s 44 best in 2024.
