Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon didn't hold back when asked about the exclusion of teammate Nazem Kadri from the first All-Star Game roster.
"It's silly. I don't think every team should send a guy," MacKinnon said, according to The Athletic's Peter Baugh. "It's an All-Star Game, not a Participation Game."
Former Toronto Maple Leaf Kadri has been among the league's top five scorers for most of the season, and currently sits fourth with 13 goals and 35 assists for 48 points in 30 games.
Kadri wasn’t the only surprising omission from Thursday’s announcement: Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins were also both among the notable lineup snubs.
Marchand, who's seventh in league scoring with 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points in 29 games, was passed over in favour of teammate Patrice Bergeron, who's not in the top 50 in scoring.
"I'm not bothered at all," Marchand said over a Zoom call with reporters. "But Bergie's been our best player for whatever it is, 18 years now, he's the best two-way player in the league, he's the backbone to our team, so I'm not surprised at all that he's there. He deserves to be. He's earned that right.
"That's the way it goes when the league format is the way it is. There's guys that could be there. You look at Kadri, I don't think he's on the list, and he's, what ... fourth in scoring, so that's the way it goes when they have the system the way it is, when you need to incorporate every team."
The NHL All-Star Game is scheduled to take place Feb. 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, the home of the Vegas Golden Knights.
