Even though he is currently injured, Coyotes Goaltender Darcy Kuemper was named to be the lone representative for the Arizona Coyotes at next month's NHL All Star Game in St. Louis. Kuemper was considered to be one of the front runners for the Vezina trophy before he went down to injury on December 19. In his second full season with the Coyotes Kuemper still ranks second in the NHL in both GAA and SV%. "It's a huge honor to represent the team & play with some of the top players in the league." Kuemper told the Coyotes website.
With a week-to-week diagnosis originally it would be a shock to see him actually suit up in the game on January 25.
Kuemper is the fourth Coyotes goalie to be named an All-Star. The last time the team sent a goalie to the mid-season showcase it was Mike Smith in 2017 where he did this.
Kuemper getting the nod is much deserved but one Arizona Coyote has a good case that he was snubbed from the roster. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun has ten goals this season which ranks him fifth in the league for goals by a defenseman & considering only one defenseman was on the initial Pacific division roster it's possible that Chychrun could make it into the game.
Forward Clayton Keller was also selected as the Coyotes nominee for the last man in vote that will begin on January 1st with fans selecting one more player for each division.