Who Should Represent The Islanders At The NHL All-Star Game? It’s Not An Easy Choice

It’s hard to believe, but we’re nearly at the halfway mark of the NHL season, and the All-Star Game is right around the corner.

With each team being represented, the first 32 participants for the league’s annual showcase will be unveiled tonight on ESPN.

For some clubs, it’s pretty cut and dry who their representative should be. That’s not the case for the New York Islanders.

By my estimation, four Islanders players deserve to head to this year’s All-Star Game in Toronto.

Noah Dobson:

Noah Dobson is having a breakout year.

The 23-year-old defenseman has had a rocket-like trajectory this season, putting him on track to have the best campaign of his young career by far. With six goals and 30 assists, Dobson has maintained a point-per-game pace for much of the year and is currently second on the team.

Although his offensive output catches your eye at first glance, Dobson is probably most deserving of the All-Star nod for how he’s stabilized the Islanders’ backend while they’ve suffered through a myriad of injuries.

Averaging 25:53 of ice time, Dobson is second in the league only to former Norris Trophy recipient Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings. His +16 rating is fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Mathew Barzal:

For years, many have wondered if and when Mathew Barzal would ever put up similar numbers to those he had during his Calder-winning rookie season back in 2015. So far this year, he has.

With 37 points, Barzal is currently the Islanders’ leading scorer, a title he’s passed back and forth with Dobson, doing so after coming off a lower-body injury that forced him to miss the final two months of the regular season last year.

However, it wouldn’t exactly be unfair to say that some of Barzal’s production can be credited to his linemate.

Bo Horvat:

In the midst of his first full season with the team, Bo Horvat has been everything the Islanders hoped for and more.

As the anchor in the middle of the top line, Horvat is averaging just under a point per game with 14 goals and 21 assists.

It was at the All-Star game last year when Horvat first donned an Islanders sweater. He was set to be in South Florida as the representative of the Vancouver Canucks, but was traded to the Islanders just a few days before the festivities.

Brock Nelson:

Brock Nelson is quietly having another stellar season for the Islanders.

He’s pacing the team once again with 17 goals and is pushing to put together the first 40-goal season of his career.

Nelson represented the Islanders last year at his first-ever All-Star Game.

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Even though only one of these four players will be revealed tonight, there’s still a possibility that the Islanders have more than one representative.

Following tonight’s announcement, fans can vote for 12 extra players to be sent to the All-Star Game.

The 2024 All-Star Game will emanate from Toronto and cap off a three-day weekend from Thursday, Feb. 1 through Saturday, Feb. 3.

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