<p>The NHL All-Star Skills competition has undergone a genuinely exciting overhaul for 2024, pitting 12 skaters against each other in every vent, the winner taking home $1 million. The names slated to compete so far: Leon Draisaitl, Jack Hughes, Nikita Kucherov, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, William Nylander, David Pastrnak and Elias Pettersson. Two more will join the field via fan vote –&nbsp;three if the injured Hughes doesn’t participate. </p>



<p>For this week’s Roundtable: we’ll each draft our pick to win.</p>



<p>The randomized draft order:</p>



<p>1. Colby Cohen<br>2. Mike Gould<br>3. Scott Maxwell<br>4. Matt Larkin<br>5. Frank Seravalli<br>6. Steven Ellis</p>



<p>Colby, you’re up!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-colby-nathan-mackinnon">1. (Colby): Nathan MacKinnon</h2>



<p>When you look at his skill set and you think about the different events in an All-Star skills competition, I have to wonder which one wouldn’t he win? He is the fastest skater, he is the best stickhandler, he’s an absolute sniper. Even with all these star players this seems like a no-brainer No. 1 overall pick.&nbsp;</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="161"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-mike-connor-mcdavid">2. (Mike): Connor McDavid </h2>



<p>Well, I’ll just go ahead and take Connor McDavid, despite all the fibers of my Calgary-based being imploring me not to. He’s the most skilled player of his generation and probably the best player who has never won a Stanley Cup. All those highlight-reel goals speak for themselves. Plus, we already know how well he can do in the fastest skater contest.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-scott-cale-makar">3. (Scott): Cale Makar</h2>



<p>This is a tough choice at third after the two obvious candidates, as at this point it’s a bit more of a toss-up in terms of which events they’ll excel&nbsp;at. But looking over all of the events, I think&nbsp;Cale Makar&nbsp;will be my pick. I strongly considered Matthews, Hughes, Draisaitl, and Kucherov, but I think Makar can hold his own against all of them in most events, and he might be the only pick remaining that could be a major threat to MacKinnon and McDavid in the fastest skater competition.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="151"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-matt-elias-pettersson">4. (Matt): Elias Pettersson</h2>



<p>I was so tempted to reach on William Nylander here, as I think his versatility and pond-hockey swagger suit him well to the event as a potential hometown hero. But&nbsp;Elias Pettersson<strong>&nbsp;</strong>has tools for days. He can fly. He has a howitzer as the reigning hardest shot champion, plus an accurate wrist shot. Silky hands. He’s built to excel in pretty much every event. I love him for this. No joke, I would’ve considered him at No. 1.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-frank-david-pastrnak">5. (Frank): David Pastrnak</h2>



<p>Man, this is difficult – I wonder if our friends at <a href="https://www.betano.ca/">Betano.ca</a> will be offering odds for the Skills Competition? I’d be genuinely intrigued to see what Vegas views as the odds to win. Feels like the obvious pick would be to snag William Nylander based on his flair for the dramatic. Shocked no one has taken Auston Matthews. But I’m going to go with&nbsp;David Pastrnak. I think he does so many of these things well, plus with Pasta, you’re almost guaranteed to get a good effort – which is half the battle when it comes to an event like this one.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="179"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-6-steven-nikita-kucherov">6. (Steven): Nikita Kucherov</h2>



<p>Nikita Kucherov is just too underrated here, isn’t he? There isn’t an obvious flaw in his game, and there’s a reason he’s in the MVP race again. He’s just so ignored by the average fan. But he can skate, shoot, everything. He’s flashy and likes to have fun with it, and I don’t think there’s a skill he’ll struggle with.&nbsp;</p>



<p>_____</p>



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