Time To Rock One More Vote: Patrik Laine Could Be One Of NHL’s “Last Men In”

On Wednesday the NHL announced that Jets forwards Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele were named to the 2018 NHL All-Star Game taking place January 26 in San Jose, California. There is a chance though that they could be joined by one more Winnipeg forward and it’s up to Jets fans to get him there.

Patrik Laine is one of seven Central division players that are in a last chance fan vote that the NHL has called “Last Men In.” Reminiscent of MLB’s last chance vote where they allow fans to vote for one specific player out of a very small group to make the mid-summer classic, the NHL is allowing fans to vote in four more player into the All-Star festivities, one from each division.

Laine’s competition in the Central? Jonathan Toews from Chicago, Gabriel Landeskog of Colorado, Tyler Seguin of the Stars, Minnesota Wild’s Zach Parise, Filip Forsberg from Nashville and Vladimir Tarasenko of the Blues.

Now let’s get some real talk out of the way…

Is Laine the actual best “hockey” choice here? We’re talking overall package of speed and skill and ability. For a moment, take off the Jets tinted visor and as a straight up hockey fan who wants to see the absolute best players on the ice, do some soul searching.

Is Laine a better pick than Seguin who actually has more points than Patrik?

Is Laine a better pick than Landeskog who has as many goals as Patrik

The answer to both of these questions of course is a resounding: Hell yes, he certainly is.

Towes? Forsberg and Tarasenko? Sure, fine players in their own right, but have they ever rocked a stylish beard like Laine has?

And we know you all know better than to consider anyone from the Wild as a possible all-star.

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it all multiple times. All-Star Game votes are really nothing more than glorified popular votes and when it comes to being popular, Patrik Laine is the obvious choice.

So, right now – yes, this very moment – go to www.nhl.com/vote and vote in Patrik Laine. There also will be voting on the NHL app if you got that on your smart devices.

Voting is on now until the end of Janurary 10.

While you’re there, you may as well help our friends over at OilersNation and MapleLeafs Nation and also vote for Leon Draisaitl and Morgan Rielly. One of those sites covers a struggling franchise that is well past it’s Stanley Cup glory years and the other is OilersNation, we like to help those less fortunate when we can by getting their somewhat deserving players into the game as well.