Hedman And Kucherov Are 2017 All-Stars

The NHL announced the 2017 All-Stars today and the Lightning will be represented by Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov.

Beat writer Joe Smith tells us:

Hedman, 26, one of the league’s top defensemen, ranks second on the Lightning in points with 37, a team-high 30 assists. The 6-foot-6 Swede has carried a large load this season, averaging more than 24 minutes per game (two higher than career average).

Kucherov, 23, leads the Lightning in goals (16) and points (39). He was among the league leaders in both categories until a lower body injury sidelined him in December. He’s in the first year of a three-year deal signed right before the season.

The four head coaches for all-star weekend will be Michel Therrien of the Montreal Canadiens (Atlantic), Bruce Boudreau of the Minnesota Wild (Central), John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets (Metropolitan) and Peter DeBoer of the San Jose Sharks (Pacific).

Forwards Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, defenseman P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators and goalie Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens topped their respective divisions in fan votes in the 2017 NHL All-Star Fan Vote to earn the first spots and captaincy in the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 29.

Each club is represented during All-Star weekend, which runs Jan. 27-29 in Los Angeles. The skills competition takes place on Jan. 28 and the all-star 3-on-3 tournament on Jan. 29.

Atlantic Division

Forwards: Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning), Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins),  Kyle Okposo (Buffalo Sabres), Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit Red Wings)

Defensemen: Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators), Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning), Shea Weber (Montreal Canadiens)

Goaltenders: Carey Price, (captain, Montreal Canadiens), Tuukka Rask (Boston Bruins)

Metropolitan Division

Forwards: Sidney Crosby (captain, Pittsburgh Penguins), Cam Atkinson (Columbus Blue Jackets), Taylor Hall (New Jersey Devils), Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins), Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia Flyers), John Tavares (New York Islanders),

Defensemen: Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets), Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes), Ryan McDonagh (New York Rangers)

Goalies: Sergei Bobrovsky (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Braden Holtby (Washington Capitals)

Central Division 

Forwards: Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks), Artemi Panarin (Chicago Blackhawks), Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Mark Scheifele(Winnipeg Jets) and Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis Blues)

Defensemen: P.K. Subban (captain, Nashville Predators), Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild) and Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)

Goaltenders: Devan Dubnyk (Minnesota Wild), Corey Crawford (Chicago Blackhawks)

Pacific Division

Forwards: Connor McDavid (captain, Edmonton Oilers), Jeff Carter (Los Angeles Kings), Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames), Ryan Kesler (Anaheim Ducks), Joe Pavelski (San Jose Sharks), Bo Horvat (Vancouver Canucks)

Defensemen: Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona Coyotes), Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings)

Goalies: Martin Jones (San Jose Sharks), Peter Budaj (Los Angeles Kings)

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