On Saturday, the NHL will announce the remaining 12 players to be named to the 2024 All-Star Game through fan voting, which closes today. But don’t expect to hear any more Vegas Golden Knights‘ names included in the group that will head to Toronto for All-Star Weekend.
Based on the most recent voting tally released by the league (as of Jan. 9), the Golden Knights do not have a skater ranked among the top 15 vote-getters, and the still-sidelined Adin Hill ranks a distant seventh in goalie voting (the top four will be selected). Barring a late injury replacement, it appears that Jack Eichel will be the sole representative for the team.
Sure, the All-Star Game is little more than a meaningless exhibition. Players from Canadian teams comprise 10 of the top 15 vote-getting skaters, suggesting that inclusion may be less about how you play than where you play. Still, it’s disappointing for an organization that has sent multiple representatives to four of five games in its history (there was no All-Star Weekend in 2021) and for two of its players, in particular.
Adin Hill
Even after being scratched late from Wednesday night’s clash with the Colorado Avalanche, Hill should be back from his undisclosed injury imminently. That’s great news for the team as they embark on the second half of the 2023-24 season. It’s less great, however, for those hoping to see the 27-year-old rewarded for his sizzling start before being sidelined.
In 15 games before his injury, Hill posted a 1.93 goals-against average and .933 save percentage, both of which remain league-best marks for netminders who have played 13 games or more. Notably, he has allowed one fewer goal per game than Dallas Stars netminder Jake Oettinger, who has already been selected for the weekend, and he has comfortably outplayed Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks, the current top vote-getter between the pipes.
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Of course, Hill’s injury looms large. He has not played since Nov. 30, save for a six-minute stint during a failed comeback attempt on Dec. 17. Would he have been able to maintain his impressive early pace had he stayed healthy? It’s impossible to know, but he certainly merited All-Star inclusion for the first time in his career, given his hot start after last spring’s Stanley Cup victory.
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Mark Stone
If you catch Mark Stone in a moment of honesty, he probably wouldn’t be distraught about missing this year’s All-Star Game. He and his wife, after all, had their first child last March, and the opportunity to spend the weekend at home is surely welcome (from ‘‘Oh, baby! Golden Knights doing double duty with fatherhood shift,” Las Vegas Sun, 03/06/23). At the same time, it would have been a nice reward for the Golden Knights captain’s return to full health.
After participating in the Vegas-hosted 2022 All-Star Game, Stone appeared in only 10 games for the rest of the 2021-22 season and just 43 games the following year, undergoing two separate back surgeries in the interim. He was able, however, to return for the club’s journey through the 2023 Playoffs right up to hoisting the Stanley Cup. This season, he is one of six Golden Knights to have played in every game of the team’s first half (making my preseason prediction look good).
There’s also his on-ice play to consider, too. With 12 goals and 39 points in 41 games, he sits just three back of Eichel for the team lead. He also boasts a higher point total than 13 of the 26 forwards who were originally selected.
As long as the NHL requires a representative from each team, deserving candidates from strong teams will always be snubbed. Maybe that suits Stone just fine. Still, the 31-year-old is turning in the type of healthy, productive campaign that makes him worthy of All-Star inclusion.
As it stands, the surging Canucks are riding a highly successful first half into some serious All-Star representation, with three skaters ranking among the top seven in votes, and Demko occupying the top goalie spot (Quinn Hughes has already been named). Something tells me that Vegas would be perfectly happy to give Vancouver their All-Star moment and focus more on regaining control of the Pacific Division from their rivals in the second half.