Who Will Represent The Blue Jackets At The All-Star Game In Toronto?
Who should represent the Columbus Blue Jackets at the All-Star Game? Let's take a look at the candidates.
Most Likely Candidate:
Johhny Gaudreau - 7-18-25 | 9 PP Points
Gaudreau started the season off very slow, with many wondering if there was something wrong with him physically. On November 18th, he scored a goal against the Washington Capitals, and from that point on, he took off. In the last 22 games, he has 19 points, but before that, he had just 6 points all season. He's currently tied with Zach Werenski for the team lead in points.
Fan Favorite Candidate:
Kirill Marchenko - 13-8-21 | 5 PP Points
Marchenko is another one that started very slowly. He didn't score a goal in the first 7 games, leading to him being a healthy scratch in games 8 & 9. He came back from his scratching and immediately scored, and has been a completely different player since then. Since November 2nd, he has scored 13 goals and added 5 assists. He's currently tied with Boone Jenner for the team lead in goals.
Dark Horse Candidate:
Adam Fantilli - 11-12-23 | 2 PP Points
Fantilli recorded an assist in his first NHL game, and he hasn't looked back. The #3 overall pick in last year's draft has been everything everyone said he was going to be. He set a record for goals in December by a rookie. He's 10 goals behind Marchenko's rookie record for goals, he's 24 assists behind Werenski for most assists by a rookie and 25 points behind Pierre-Luc Dubois' rookie points record. Fantilli also sits 10 points behind Connor Bedard in the rookie scoring race.
In my opinion, Johnny Gaudreau will be the player sent to Toronto for the All-Star Game in February. He has the best name recognition of the players who could be chosen, and it's highly unlikely any rookie not named Connor Bedard will be selected. With Zach Werenski most likely out, and Boone Jenner having missed a lot of games due to a broken jaw, Gaudreau will be the choice, but it would be cool seeing the fun-loving Kirill Marchenko representing the Union Blue at the All-Star Game.
Next Up: The Blue Jackets travel to Philadephia to take on the Flyers Thursday at 7 p.m.
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