The NHL All-Star Game is an oasis. It's a moment for players to hang with peers, friends and family. To sink a golf putt with a hockey stick or topple into a dunk tank, it's a time to let their personalities shine through, or at least as much personality as their decades of hockey culture programming will allow them to show without the shock collar going off. There's a reason they call it an All-Star break. It's a break from all that stress and strain of watching the scoreboard.
But breaks are breaks because eventually one must get back to the grind. The rest of the NHL season provides challenges, obstacles, missions and emotional journeys for our 44 representatives.
Here are the 2023 NHL All-Star tiers, taking into account how their season has been, where it might be headed and the roles they'll play in shaping that future. Enjoy!