It may be hard to believe, but the NHL All-Star Game is officially one month away, as the big game takes place on Feb. 3. As a result of it getting closer, the NHL is set to announce each team’s All-Star representative tomorrow (Jan. 4). Thus, we will soon find out which player from each team will be first named All-Stars.
When it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ roster, it is clear that they have some excellent players to pick from. While the team has had mixed results this campaign, their stars have shown up, so the decision ahead will be tough. Because of this, let’s now discuss the club’s top two All-Star representative candidates.
William Nylander
William Nylander certainly stands out as a prime candidate to be named the Maple Leafs’ All-Star representative. The superstar winger has been the Maple Leafs’ most consistent all season and is having the best campaign of his career because of it. In 35 games thus far, the 2014 eighth-overall pick has 19 goals to go along and leads the team in both assists (31) and points (50). He is also currently tied for fifth with David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins) and J.T. Miller (Vancouver Canucks) in the NHL in points.
As noted above, Nylander has been remarkably consistent, and it has been a major reason for his immense success during the 2023-24 season. He started the season with a 17-game point streak and recently put together another 13-game point streak. He also has points in 31 out of 35 games this season. This alone helps strengthen his case of being the Maple Leafs’ All-Star representative, and it is fair to argue that he is the frontrunner.
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If Nylander is named the club’s All-Star representative, it will mark the first time in his career that he was named to the All-Star Game. Thus, this would be a big honour for the 27-year-old.
Auston Matthews
While Nylander has a great shot of being named the Maple Leafs’ All-Star representative, Auston Matthews also will warrant consideration. The 2016 first-overall pick has been spectacular this season, as he has a league-leading 29 goals to go along with 44 points in 34 games. As a result of his outstanding scoring this season, he has a legitimate shot of hitting 70 goals by the end of the season if he keeps this play up. At a minimum, it would be surprising if he does not hit 60 goals for the second time in his career if he stays healthy.
After a down season in 2022-23, Matthews has regained his previous scoring touch and is putting together a truly dominant season in the goal department because of it. There is no question that goals carry a ton of value, so although Nylander has more points, we should not automatically rule out the prospect of Matthews being named the club’s All-Star representative.
Perhaps what is more impressive is the way that Matthews has scored goals this season. He already has three hat tricks this season, and the Maple Leafs are not even at the halfway point of the campaign yet.
Both Nylander & Matthews Deserve to Be All-Stars
At the end of the day, there are clear reasons as to why both Nylander and Matthews deserve to be named the Maple Leafs’ first All-Star representative. Both of them are having spectacular seasons and are among the NHL’s best players. Nylander is having the best season of his career and has been the Maple Leafs’ most complete and consistent player, while Matthews is scoring at a marvelous rate. As a result, once fans can begin voting, they should certainly consider voting for the player who ends up not being picked first.
We will need to wait and see who ends up getting picked from here. Given how consistent Nylander has been, he would be my pick for the club’s All-Star representative. Who do you think deserves it? Let your opinions be heard in the comments.
