McDavid and Kucherov lead NHL all-star teams
4 minutes read
👁 104 views 
McDavid, Kucherov headline NHL all-star teams
NHL announces first and second all-star teams
The National Hockey League (NHL) announced its First and Second All-Star Teams on Friday, with Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov headlining the selections. The announcement followed a close race for the Hart Trophy, which Kucherov ultimately secured.
Kucherov, who plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning, was awarded his second Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player on Thursday. He edged out McDavid by a margin of 10 points in what was described as one of the closest ballots in the trophy’s history. McDavid, of the Edmonton Oilers, is also a recipient of the Ted Lindsay Award.
Both McDavid and Kucherov have a history of all-star recognition. This marks McDavid’s sixth time being named to the First All-Star Team, while it is Kucherov’s fifth selection. All six players on the First All-Star Team have received this honour at least once before in their careers.
First All-Star Team selections
The NHL’s First All-Star Team is composed of players voted on by position. Alongside McDavid and Kucherov, the team includes Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars at left wing, and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche on defence. The defensive pairing is completed by Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who recently won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenceman.
The goaltender for the First All-Star Team is Andrei Vasilevskiy, also from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vasilevskiy was recognized with the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie. The selections highlight top performers across various positions in the league.
Second All-Star Team and notable omissions
The NHL’s Second All-Star Team features a different set of accomplished players. Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche was named as the centre. The wings are filled by Cole Caufield from the Montreal Canadiens and David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins.
On defence, the Second All-Star Team includes Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres and Evan Bouchard from the Edmonton Oilers. The goaltending position for this team went to Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals. For Caufield, Bouchard, Dahlin, and Thompson, this marks their first time being named to an end-of-season NHL All-Star team.
A notable player not included in either all-star team was Macklin Celebrini. Despite finishing fourth in the voting for the Hart Trophy, Celebrini did not make an all-star team. This was due to his third-place finish in centre voting, behind both McDavid and MacKinnon.
The voting for the all-star teams is conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the conclusion of the regular season, prior to the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The NHL also unveiled its All-Rookie team earlier on Friday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had only one player, William Nylander, appear in the all-star voting. Nylander received a single third-place vote, tying him with Cutter Gauthier of the Anaheim Ducks, for 12th place in voting for right wing. Nylander recorded 79 points, consisting of 30 goals and 49 assists, in 65 games during the season.
This season marked the first time since 2016 that the Maple Leafs failed to secure a post-season berth, finishing in last place in the Atlantic Division in the 2025-26 regular season. The club has not had an all-star selection since the 2021-22 season, when Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were voted to the first team.
Read Also
Source: sportsnet.ca
About the Author
