We are nearly go time at the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis, and Max Pacioretty is the lone representative for the Vegas Golden Knights.
However, as great as it is that Pacioretty is flying the flag for the Vegas Golden Knights, it kinda sucks that he isn’t taking part in any of the Skills Competitions tonight.
And, after Marc-Andre Fleury pulled out of the event, we thought it would be fun to dream of what would happen if only Vegas Golden Knights players were invited to the 2020 NHL All-Star Game.
Here’s what we came up with…
Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater
There are a few contenders for this with William Carrier and Alex Tuch standing out in particular, while William Karlsson would also be a contender.
If you throw Chandler Stephenson into the mix as well, then we’ve got ourselves a real competitive field.
And, this may well be recency bias, but given Stephenson’s scary levels of speed, I am inclined to pick him for this event.
After all, the Fastest Skater competition involves some skill too and, given that Stephenson is an incredible skater, I would say that the forward wins this event.
Winner – Chandler Stephenson
Bud Light NHL Save Streak
This is an easy one.
With the goalie in this event needing to save as many shots from players on a breakaway in order to win, there is only one man for the job.
And that man is Marc-Andre Fleury.
Just named the NHL goalie of the decade, Fleury’s resume speaks for itself and he would be the perfect candidate in this event.
When in his groove, not much gets past Fleury and he would win this event hands down in my opinion.
Winner – Marc-Andre Fleury
Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting
The NHL made a big mistake not putting Max Pacioretty in this event for real.
Boasting an absolute wicked release and a hell of a shot, Pacioretty was made for events such as this and he would take some stopping.
Mark Stone would be a worthy rival, but with a 9.3 shooting percentage this year Pacioretty would walk the Accuracy Shooting competition.
Winner – Max Pacioretty
Enterprise NHL Hardest Shot
This is an easy one too.
Although Shea Theodore is firmly in the mix for this event, as is Max Pacioretty, I think there is one winner and one winner only.
Step forward Nic Hague.
The rookie defenseman had to wait 38 games for his first career goal in the National Hockey League, but it was certainly worth the wait.
Because, against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, Hague unleashed an absolute bomb from the blueline that comfortably flew past Jaroslav Halak.
It showcased Hague’s deadly release and it is fun thinking of how much destruction Nic Hague would cause in this event.
Winner – Nic Hague
Gatorade NHL Shooting Stars
Okay, so this is a new event and it is quite a tricky one to work out.
The premise of the newest Skills Competition is that players stand on an elevated platform above the ice and attempt to hit an array of targets from bonkers angles.
So, it is going to take high hockey IQ, silky hands and a lot of skill so we think Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Mark Stone would all thrive at this particular event.
However, if we had to pick a winner, we would go with Stone because he’s just so damn good at everything.
Karlsson may well run him close but, when it comes to it, Mark Stone has the elite ability to be able to succeed in this new event.
Winner – Mark Stone