With all of the talent on his team for the NHL All-Star Game three-on-three tournament, Nathan MacKinnon opted to add another dimension when drafting.
Some old-school hockey.
MacKinnon, along with celebrity captain singer Tate McRae and Colorado Avalanche teammate Cale Makar as assistant captain, was sure to add Washington Capitals power forward Tom Wilson and then stepped it up a notch by grabbing Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers.
“We need an agitator,” MacKinnon told the Sportsnet/ESPN broadcast at the event in Toronto.
Team MacKinnon, which will face the squad headed by Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, also drafted his Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev and Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman, and added skaters Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild), Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Seattle Kraken) and Elias Lindholm (Vancouver Canucks).
Lindholm has the distinction of representing a team he has not played for, having been traded to Vancouver from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, which he found about en route home from a quick vacation in Mexico.
“It sounds a little weird but I’m super excited, super happy. I’m excited to start something new,” he said of joining the Canucks after five-plus seasons in Calgary.
McDavid, along with his assistant captain and Edmonton Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl and celebrity captain actor Will Arnett, made a surprising first selection in the draft when they took Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
“We want somebody who’s going to make a difference,” said Arnett, who wore a Toronto Maple Leafs hat despite working alongside a pair of Oilers stars.
Team McDavid also includes goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and his Florida Panthers teammate Sam Reinhart, as well as David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres), Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues), Boone Jenner (Columbus Blue Jackets), Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens) and Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks).
The winner of the MacKinnon-McDavid game will face the victor of the clash between Team Matthews and Team Hughes in the championship game. The victorious team will split a $1 million prize.
–Field Level Media