Top 10 Players that should be picked for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game -Part 1
The voting process for the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) All-Star Game has kicked off in full force and has up until now, shown some very surprising results. One would be that four Ottawa Senators players are in the top six for the most voted currently,
but that might also be because the event is scheduled to be held at the Scotiabank Place.
Most of the selection of players is obviously based on favouritism and how many votes a player can secure, which is nothing wrong since the event is based for that sole purpose, but if there were to be a merit on the basis of performance, these players would
have surely been in the top 10.
Tomas Fleischmann (Left Wing, Florida Panthers)
The Florida Panthers are certainly seeing red this season as they have changed the teams outlook in all aspects related to performance as compared to their ranking in the previous 2010-2012 regular season.
One of the biggest reasons why the Panthers are currently sitting at the number three spot of the Eastern Conference when they were number 15 last season is because of Tomas Fleischmann.
He certainly might be one of the most underrated players in the entire league, but he has certainly led his team to the top rankings and would not even be surprising if the Panthers take over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the near future for the top spot.
The 27-year-old from Koprivnice, Czech Republic was drafted as the 63rd overall draft pick during the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit Red Wings and is currently in his first season with the Florida Panthers after he was acquired during the 2011
offseason, which was a really good move for the struggling team.
At the moment, Fleischmann is tied for the third spot in the league amongst left wingers with 20 points (9 goals, 11 assists) in 20 points, making him one of the most consistent, not only on the team but also in the entire league. He also has 10 minutes
in penalty time and a plus minus rating of 14.
Fleischmann has also managed to kill a lot of penalties for his team, seven being exact on power play opportunities.
After a 50 point plus season with the Washington Capitals, the team who signed him on after being drafted by Detroit, Fleischmann has not managed to score as many points in the following season, mainly being since he was either traded and had adjustment
issues, but so far in this season with Florida, he seems to have adjusted just fine.
If Fleischmann can continue to play with this momentum, than it certainly will not be surprising if he ends off the season with Florida back in the playoffs and him back in the top 10 rankings of highest scoring players.
It is certainly surprising to see that the Florida power forward has not even made the top 20 of the players being voted for the most and would certainly be a loss for fans if he does not make the All-Star team when voting ends on January 4, 2012.
As the voting continues, nothing for sure can be said on who will make the extremely tight cut and who will be left out, but one thing is for sure, Tomas Fleischmann is one of the best players in the league.
To be continued in Part 2.....
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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