Red Wings defenseman Mike Green has been selected to represent the Red Wings at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game in Tampa. This will be his second All-Star nomination since he joined the league.
Green is down the list for the Wings’ best players, but the reason behind it largely has to do with how the Atlantic team was built.. Here’s a look:
F Aleksander Barkov, FLA
F Jack Eichel, BUF
F Nikita Kucherov, TBL
F Brad Marchand, BOS
F Auston Matthews, TOR
F Steven Stamkos, TBL
D Mike Green, DET
D Victor Hedman, TBL
D Erik Karlsson, OTT
G Carey Price, MTL
G Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL
Pretty good.. The forwards were pretty much set. Eichel is Buffalo’s best player, Barkov is Florida’s best, Matthews is Toronto’s best, and so on. Dylan Larkin would have been the clear-cut candidate for the Wings, but it looks like he didn’t get the nod due to who was ahead of him.
Here’s the good news (maybe), this makes Green more valuable at the trade deadline? Probably not, but don’t harsh my mellow. I don’t personally care for the All-Star Game. It was fun when John Scott took it over, but every other year seems to be boring spectacle after boring spectacle. They could have chosen Darren Helm for all I care.
Here’s more from the Red Wings’ announcement:
Green, 32, is in his third season with the Red Wings and his 13th NHL season, currently leading Detroit defenseman with 24 points (4-20-24) in 41 games this season, which also places fourth overall in team scoring and ties for 19th among NHL defensemen. Green leads the Red Wings in average time on ice (22:39) and also places among team leaders with 20 assists (3rd), 13 power-play points (T2nd), 84 shots on goal (6th), 48 hits (5th) and 44 blocked shots (3rd). The 6-foot-1, 207-pound defenseman has produced six multi-point games this season, including the first-ever game at Little Caesars Arena when he became the first Red Wings defenseman to have a four-point game since Nicklas Lidstrom (Dec. 27, 2010 at Colorado) and the first player at any position to have a four-assist game since Niklas Kronwall (Dec. 19, 2007 vs. Los Angeles), with four helpers in Detroit’s 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.
This marks Green’s second All-Star selection, as he previously served as an alternate captain for Team Staal during the 2011 NHL All-Star Game. Green was also named an NHL First-Team All-Star in 2009 and 2010 after leading the league’s defensemen in points in back-to-back seasons. A veteran of 762 NHL games since 2005-06, Green has produced 455 points (138-317-455) and 520 penalty minutes for the Washington Capitals (2005-15) and Red Wings. Since his first full NHL season in 2007-08, he ranks sixth among all defensemen in scoring. The Calgary, Alberta, native was also an AHL All-Rookie Team member and Calder Cup champion with the Hershey Bears as a first-year pro in 2005-06, totaling 51 points (12-39-51) and 105 penalty minutes in 68 AHL games from 2005-07. Prior to turning professional, Green logged 172 points (37-135-172) and 324 penalty minutes in 267 games for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades from 2000-05, where he was a WHL East First-Team All-Star in 2005.
