The 68th annual NHL All-Star Game will take place at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday, February 3, capping off the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend, which begins today (February 1) in Toronto.
There’ll be Connor McDavid present. The NHL’s Hockey Operations Department decided to include the captain of the Edmonton Oilers in his seventh All-Star Game. Leon Draisaitl, who is playing in his fifth All-Star Game, will also be present. Among the winners of the All-Star Fan Vote was him.
However, defenseman Evan Bouchard, who is tied for sixth in the NHL with 43 points, winger Zach Hyman, who is tied for sixth in the league with 30 goals, and goaltender Stuart Skinner, who is tied for third in the league with 23 wins, are not on the All-Star team.
Bouchard is on track to record the sixth-highest number of points scored by an Oilers backup this season. He enjoyed the second-longest point streak among defensemen in franchise history, spanning 13 games from November 15 to December 14, 2023.
Hyman is only the third Oilers player (Draisaitl and McDavid being the other two) to achieve 30 goals prior to the All-Star Break since the 1980s. Hyman has already tied for the seventh most hat tricks in a single season in Edmonton’s NHL history with three so far.
With his 12 wins in a row, Skinner has broken the previous record held by the Oilers for the most wins in a row by a goalie. His current record of 11 straight games with two or fewer goals allowed is also a franchise best.
Bouchard, Hyman, and Skinner are not the first three worthy Oilers to be left out of the All-Star Game; they might have all been invited to the festivities in Toronto. The following three All-Star omissions rank highest in Oilers NHL history:
