The NHL All-Star Game format didn’t allow for much wiggle room due to the specific format that requires at least one player from every NHL team.
Once Mitch Marner was named as the Toronto Maple Leafs first representative, the remaining players had to be voted in. The Atlantic Division was able to send two more skaters an additional goaltender, making it virtually impossible that three Toronto skaters would make it to the 2023 edition of the mostly annual mid-season event.
When the votes were tabulated Auston Matthews got into his sixth appearance at the event.
“It’s a big honor and I’m extremely humbled,” Matthews said.
Meanwhile, William Nylander missed out, despite being on pace for a career season in both goals (24) and points (51) in 36 games.
“With the way it’s set up there’s a lot of guys who are deserving that won’t go because of the format,” Matthews said of Nylander. “In the end, he’s going to keep playing the way he’s playing. I don’t think anything like that really rattles him.”
Matthews moved into a tie with Nylander for the team lead in goals just minutes before the final NHL All-Star ballots were revealed just before 10 pm ET on Thursday.
The reigning NHL MVP had been having a bit of a down year by his standards and took a couple of games off last week to deal with a lingering undisclosed injury. In the three games since his return, Matthews has scored four goals and is resembling the player that has won the Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy the past two seasons, handed out annually to the top goal scorer in the NHL.
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