One of the more recent additions to the NHL All-Star weekend is the Fantasy Draft, in which the captains on each team (this year, Daniel Alfredsson of the host Ottawa Senators and Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins) pick their teams schoolyard-style, taking turns picking players to round out their rosters.
But which players are favored to be picked first, or worse yet, suffer the “humiliation” that Phil Kessel did last season, of being the last All-Star selected? Well, it turns out that Vegas has the numbers for you…
The following odds come from the folks at Bovada (@BovadaLV on Twitter):
Who will be picked first in the 2012 NHL All Star Draft
Erik Karlsson (OTT) 5/6
Tim Thomas (BOS) 7/1
Jason Spezza (OTT) 8/1
Milan Michalek (OTT) 15/1
Evgeni Malkin (PIT) 20/1
Henrik Sedin (VAN) 20/1
Pavel Datsyuk (DET) 20/1
Tyler Seguin (BOS) 25/1
Steven Stamkos (TB) 30/1
Marian Hossa (CHI) 30/1
Claude Giroux (PHI) 35/1
Daniel Sedin (VAN) 35/1
Phil Kessel (TOR) 35/1
Dion Phaneuf (TOR) 40/1
Shea Weber (NAS) 40/1
Jarome Iginla (CAL) 45/1
Marian Gaborik (NYR) 45/1
Corey Perry (ANA) 45/1
Carey Price (MTL) 60/1
Jimmy Howard (DET) 60/1
John Tavares (NYI) 50/1
Patrick Kane (CHI) 50/1
Brian Campbell (FLA) 60/1
Kris Letang (PIT) 60/1
Jordan Eberle (EDM) 60/1
Dennis Wideman (WAS) 65/1
Alexander Edler (VAN) 65/1
Keith Yandle (PHO) 65/1
Ryan Suter (NAS) 65/1
Brian Elliott (STL) 70/1
Jonathan Quick (LAK) 70/1
Scott Hartnell (PHI) 70/1
Jamie Benn (DAL) 70/1
Jason Pominville (BUF) 70/1
Logan Couture (SJ) 70/1
Dan Girardi (NYR) 70/1
Kimmo Timonen (PHI) 70/1
Any Other Player 70/1
Not too surprising here, to see teammates of the two captains atop the rankings. Just like the schoolyard, you’ve got to be in the clique, right?
Now to the fun stuff:
Who will be picked last in the 2012 NHL All Star Draft?
Scott Hartnell (PHI) 6/1
Jamie Benn (DAL) 13/2
Jason Pominville (BUF) 13/2
Logan Couture (SJ) 13/2
Jordan Eberle (EDM) 13/2
John Tavares (NYI) 15/1
Patrick Kane (CHI) 15/1
Phil Kessel (TOR) 15/1
Marian Gaborik (NYR) 15/1
Corey Perry (ANA) 15/1
Daniel Sedin (VAN) 25/1
Jarome Iginla (CAL) 25/1
Claude Giroux (PHI) 25/1
Marian Hossa (CHI) 25/1
Steven Stamkos (TB) 25/1
Tyler Seguin (BOS) 30/1
Milan Michalek (OTT) 30/1
Pavel Datsyuk (DET) 50/1
Evgeni Malkin (PIT) 50/1
Henrik Sedin (VAN) 50/1
Jason Spezza (OTT) 50/1
Any Other Player 13/2
At the very least, we know that Scott Hartnell would take this ignominious honor well, he’s one of the goofier guys in the NHL, after all.
Will Daniel Alfredsson select a Toronto Maple Leaf in the 2012 All-Star Fantasy Draft?
Yes 1/2
No 3/2
Does the Ottawa captain dare cross the lines in the Battle of Ontario?
Will Zdeno Chara select a Boston Bruin with his first pick in the 2012 All-Star Fantasy Draft?
Yes 2/1
No 1/3
This seems like a slam-dunk.
Will Zdeno Chara select a Vancouver Canuck in the 2012 All-Star Fantasy Draft?
Yes 1/3
No 2/1
On the other hand, this is a long-shot.
Will the Henrik and Daniel Sedin play on the same team in the 2012 All-Star Game?
Yes 2/1
No 1/3
They were split up last year, so why not do it again?
Will any NHL player break the world record for the hardest shot at the 2012 NHL All-Star Skills Competition?
Yes 8/1
I don’t think there’s any chance of this happening, as long as the NHL and KHL continue to have differences in how this event is run. Alexander Ryazantsev just uncorked a 114.1 mph shot at the KHL’s All-Star event last weekend, which is a far cry from Chara’s NHL record of 105.9.
Get the latest updates on sales on hockey equipment, accessories or apparel by subscribing to our email newsletter using the form in the right-hand sidebar (and receive hockey coupon codes just for signing up!). You can also find me on Twitter at @HockeyGearHQ to get updates when the latest articles are posted, or contact me with any questions.
Related posts here at HGHQ:
