With NHL all-star festivies ready to kick off Thursday night in Ottawa at the player draft, we unveil who sportsnet.ca users predict will be the top selections for captains Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara.
Fans had the opportunity to vote on their picks over the past week and the final results have been tallied for both teams.
So, here are the top picks at each position, as voted on by the masses:
Team Alfredsson (Assistant: Henrik Lundqvist)
Goaltender: Brian Elliott
Judging by the voting outcome, some of our voters believe Alfredsson will hold a grudge against former Ottawa Senators teammate Brian Elliiott. But all emotions aside, the St. Louis Blues goaltender has to be rewarded for his surprising breakout season. Elliott, who helped turn around the Blues’ season, deservingly edged out Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings after his incredible first half, with 15 wins, .938 save percentage and an astounding 1.69 goals-against-average.
Defence: Erik Karlsson
The fans got this one right with the selection of Alfredsson’s current teammate Erik Karlsson. Outside of Zdeno Chara, Karlsson has arguably been the most valuable defenceman in the league as he’s played a major role in the Sens’ stunning first-half success. With a phenomenal 47 points in 51 games, Karlsson is establishing himself as an elite offensive defenceman and will be a key factor in Ottawa for years to come. Did we mention he’s Alfie’s teammate?
Defence: Alexander Edler
The voters clearly think Team Chara is going to avoid all the Canucks in the draft. Edler, who’s easily replaced Christian Ehrhoff in Vancouver, has shown strong offensive prowess this season with eight goals and 34 points in 49 games. We’re worried about the lack of toughness in the back end for Team Alfredsson in the all-star game, but Edler will team with Karlsson to form a potentially-dominant power play unit.
Left wing: Daniel Sedin
What a surprise: Another Canuck for Team Alfredsson. Fellow countryman Daniel Sedin was an obvious selection for the voters in this spot. The Vancouver Canucks forward was a key contributor along with Alfredsson during their gold medal victory for Sweden at the Turin Olympics. Sedin, who ranks ninth in NHL scoring, edged out Afie’s current teammate Milan Michalek by almost 400 votes.
Centre: Jason Spezza
The voters didn’t want to re-unite the Sedin brothers in the starting lineup as Senators centre Jason Spezza was the selection for the No. 1 centre role for Team Alfredsson. Although Henrik Sedin has four more points, Spezza has rediscovered his magic this season with 50 points in 52 games. According to our readers, Spezza will be the second Senator player (Erik Karlsson) to be drafted onto Alfredsson’s squadron.
Right wing: Marian Gaborik
Many fans thought Alfredsson’s former linemate Marian Hossa was the ideal choice for the right wing position but the Chicago Blackhawk forward couldn’t beat out the first-place New York Rangers’ leading scorer. Marian Gaborik has avoided the injury bug so far this season and he’s been able to reach his potential with 39 points and an impressive plus-12 rating. Fans must be still upset with Hossa for leaving Ottawa.
Last pick: Jamie Benn
The Dallas Stars don’t get the attention they always deserve and neither does their star forward. Jamie Benn, who is one of the more underappreciated players in the NHL, has joked that he has his eye on the car that is given out for the final pick of the all-star draft. Benn has 42 points in 43 points with an impressive plus-10 rating on an improving Stars’ squad. San Jose Sharks centre Logan Couture was a close second for this dubious honour.
Team Chara (Assistant: Joffrey Lupul)
Goaltender: Tim Thomas
The Boston Bruins goaltender attracted some negative publicity after his decision to skip the team’s appearance at the White House earlier this week. But voters clearly think that the bond between Big Z and his goalie is too strong as Thomas was almost a unanimous selection for this spot. The 2011 Conn Smythe winner beat out Jimmy Howard by over 1,000 votes.
Defence: Shea Weber
Weber became a fan favourite during Team Canada’s Olympic victory in Vancouver in 2010. The Nashville Predators defenceman would add another fearsome slap shot from the point to Team Chara. Weber, who just returned from a concussion injury, is putting up strong offensive numbers with 34 points in 46 games and a plus-16 rating. Weber edged out another superb offensive defenceman, Kris Letang, for this position.
Defence: Dion Phaneuf
The Toronto Maple Leafs captain would form an odd partnership with Chara. Voters seemed pretty split on Phaneuf as he received much fewer votes than Weber, but just enough to crack the list. Too many fans must have read that SI poll because Phaneuf has rediscovered his game this season and has shown the toughness and leadership that GM Brian Burke wants out of his players. That, and Leafs teammate Joffrey Lupul is an assistant to Big Z.
Left wing: Pavel Datsyuk
Alex Ovechkin was early leader for this spot, but his dropping out left Datsyuk as the next top vote getter. The always-reliable Russian forward is having another outstanding season for Detroit with 53 points in 49 games and an plus-20 rating. While some may undervalue how valuable Datsyuk is for the Red Wings, Team Chara will be thrilled to have him on board. Even without Ovechkin, this is a home-run pick by the voters.
Centre: Evgeni Malkin
Many thought Chara would go with his Bruins teammate Tyler Seguin in this slot, but the majority of voters said otherwise. Pittsburgh Penguins centre Evgeni Malkin slightly edged out Seguin and adds needed firepower to Team Chara. The Russian centre has been a Hart Trophy candidate during the first-half as he has led the Penguins during their recent surge. Maybe the Pens will be just fine without Sid The Kid.
Right wing: Phil Kessel
Lupul doesn’t want his boy Phil Kessel to be drafted last for a second-consecutive year and neither do the voters. It’s hard to imagine Chara being happy about this selection but he’ll have to make due. Kessel, who ranks fifth in NHL scoring, has finally shown what the Leafs thought they were getting when they made the much talked-about trade with the Bruins before the 2008-09 season.
Last pick: Jason Pominville
Perhaps Ovechkin dropped out of the game due to fear of being picked last? Without Ovie in the mix, fans turned their attention to Jason Pominville when it came predicting who Chara’s last selection might be. The Buffalo Sabres have been arguably the most disappointing team in hockey this season and Pominville is being held responsible by the voters. Amazingly, Phaneuf — who earned a starting spot on the blueline by our voters — was second.
