Boston Bruins: Brad Marchand misses out on All-Star selection

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 29: David Pastrnak #88, Brad Marchand #63 and Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins celebrate their goal against the Buffalo Sabres at the TD Garden on December 29, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 29: David Pastrnak #88, Brad Marchand #63 and Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins celebrate their goal against the Buffalo Sabres at the TD Garden on December 29, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Boston Bruins will have some big names at the NHL All-Star Game. One noticeable name, however, won’t be there.

The league announced the rosters for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game on Monday afternoon. Given the current standings, it was no surprise to see multiple Boston Bruins players get the nod for the Atlantic Division.

Pastrnak and Rask earn All-Star selections; Bergeron on Last Man In vote

We already knew about David Pastrnak‘s All-Star selection. The NHL named him team captain for the Atlantic Division a couple weeks ago.

Another Bruin that will join Pastrnak at the All-Star Game is Tuukka Rask. Rask is one of two goalies on the roster; the other is Frederik Anderson of the Maple Leafs.

Pastrnak and Rask certainly earned their All-Star nods this season. Pastrnak leads the entire NHL in goals, while Rask is top-10 in save percentage, goals-against average, and wins.

Patrice Bergeron didn’t get an official selection yet, but the league added him to the Last Man In list. Fans can vote Bergeron in as the final player on the roster.

We all want to see Bergeron earn extra recognition, but given his injuries this season, it’s probably not the worst thing for him to get some rest.

Brad Marchand is noticeably absent from the All-Star team

One player who surprisingly received no All-Star recognition is Brad Marchand. He’s probably the biggest name missing in the entire league.

Marchand is currently tied with Pastrnak in points with 58; good enough for third in the entire league. He’s been one of the best and most consistent forwards all season.

While it’s easy to call Marchand an All-Star snub, you have to consider how the league handles selections. Every team must have at least one selection. That means teams like Detroit and Ottawa have an All-Star player.

As a result, Marchand misses out while someone like Tyler Bertuzzi gets the selection. Nothing against Bertuzzi, but Marchand probably deserves the Al-Star nod more.

That said, we can’t be too frustrated that Marchand won’t participate in the All-Star Game. Like with Bergeron, the Bruins and their fans prefer Marchand to rest and recover rather than play in a meaningless game.

Pastrnak and Rask (and maybe Bergeron) will join the rest of the Atlantic All-Star selections in St. Louis on January 25.