All-NHL Team: End of the Year Edition

Since starting the All-NHL team of the week I have been looking at the best weekly performers across the NHL highlighting the forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders who were truly the NHL's best for that week. This week, however, with the NHL regular season officially over I will be looking at the entire 2014-2015 season on the whole to comprise All-NHL teams. Teams will be broken down as the following: First Team All-NHL, Second Team All-NHL, All-Rookie First and Second Team, and because it's the state of hockey an All-Minnesota Team consisting of only Minnesota-born players. Each team will have three forwards (RW, LW, C), two defensemen, and one goaltender. Let's get started.

First Team All-NHL

Ovechkin-Tavares-Voracek

Josi-Subban

Price

Left Wing: This was a really tough call between Ovechkin and Jamie Benn with both guys being very deserving. While Benn led the league in points with 87 and also potted 35 goals, Ovechkin was the runaway leader in goalscoring with 53 on the year and 81 points. Ultimately, it's gotta be Ovechkin. Those 53 goals are just too hard to ignore but it says a lot about the year Benn had for it even to be a discussion and who knows how things would have ended up had Tyler Seguin not gotten hurt.

Selection: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (53G-28A-81P in 81GP)

Center: Another incredibly tough choice between two superstar players for the 1st team center spot but I went with John Tavares. My reasoning is that while Sidney Crosby had a great year by all normal standards with 28 goals and 84 points, it wasn't a dominating year by Crosby's standards. Tavares, however, had the best season of his career finishing with 38 goals and 86 points while playing in all 82 games. Tavares also finished with a plus-rating for the first time in his career at +5 and was very good in the face-off circle winning 52.2% of draws.

Selection: John Tavares, New York Islanders (38G-48A-86P in 82GP)

Right Wing: Jakub Voracek has found a home and it is in Philadelphia on Claude Giroux's wing. Since being acquired by the Flyers in 2011 in a trade that sent Jeff Carter to Columbus, Voracek has thrived having the best seasons of his career. After having a career year last year with 62 points in 82 games, Voracek set a new career best this season with 81 points in 82 games. Voracek also finished the season with an astounding 59 assists that was second only to Washington's Niklas Backstrom.

Selection: Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers (22G-59A-81P in 82GP)

Defensemen: No matter what two defensemen I selected here, a deserving candidate would be left out. My two picks for the First-Team All-NHL defensemen are P.K. Subban and Roman Josi. Many will wonder why Erik Karlsson, who leads all defensemen with 66 points and may win the Norris Trophy, gets left out here and that's a fair question. My reasoning is that Karlsson is the best offensive-defensemen in the NHL but not the best defensemen. Subban and Josi are better in their own end and aren't far behind Karlsson offensively. Subban finished with 60 points and Josi with 55 points by comparison.

Selections: P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens (15G-45A-60P in 82GP) and Roman Josi, Nashville Predators (15G-40A-55P in 81GP)

Goalie: Is there even an argument against Price? He has the best goals-against average, save-percentage, the most wins among qualified goaltenders, and his nine shutouts this season are second only to Marc-Andre Fleury. Price was undoubtedly the most dominant goaltender in the NHL this season.

Selection: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens (44-16-6, 1.96 GAA, .933 SV%, 9 SO)

Second Team All-NHL

Jamie Benn (DAL)-Sidney Crosby (PIT)-Vladimir Tarasenko (STL)

Erik Karlsson (OTT)-Shea Weber (NSH)

Devan Dubnyk (MIN)

Selection Analysis: At forward there isn't much of question as to who belongs on the team. Jamie Benn led the league in points and scored 35 goals, Crosby piled up 84 points in 77 games, and Tarasenko's 37 goals in 77 games are just a glimpse of his potential as a scorer. All three guys could've made the first-team without much of an argument. On the backend Karlsson makes it as a guy that will seriously contend for the Norris with 66 points on the year and the other half of the NHL's best defensive pairing makes it as well in Shea Weber. Dubnyk in net was an easy call for what he's done for the Minnesota Wild. The Wild don't make the playoffs without Dubnyk and statistically he's just a little better than Rinne.

All-Rookie First Team

Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)-Filip Forsberg (NSH)-Mark Stone (OTT)

John Klingberg (DAL)-Aaron Ekblad (FLA)

Jake Allen (STL)

Selection Analysis: Hard to believe these players are rookies with the seasons they have hard. Gaudreau, Forsberg, Stone all topped 60 points and 20 goals. Klingberg put up a ridiculous 40 points in 65 games in his first NHL season and Ekblad, who turned 19 in February, had 39 points in 81 games. Allen led all rookie goalies with 22 wins and four shutouts.

All-Rookie Second Team

Mike Hoffman (OTT)-Anders Lee (NYI)-Kevin Hayes (NYR)

Nikita Zadarov (BUF)-Matt Dumba (MIN)

Michael Hutchinson (WPG)

Selection Analysis: Mike Hoffman led all rookies with 27 goals for the Senators this season and not far behind him was Islanders first-year center Anders Lee with 25 goals. At 6'5 225 Kevin Hayes does not look like a rookie and he doesn't play like one either. Hayes used his large frame and elite strength to put up 45 points in 79 games for the Rangers. Matthew Dumba led all rookie defensemen with a +13 rating and contributed eight goals and 16 points for the Wild this season. Nikita Zadarov  had some learning moments in his rookie but also showed his potential as a rugged, shutdown defender. Michael Hutchinson's 21 wins this season was second best among rookies and he also posted a very solid .914 SV%.

All-Minnesota Team

Zach Parise (MIN)-Derek Stepan (NYR)-Blake Wheeler (WPG)

Nick Leddy (NYI)-Dustin Byfuglien (WPG)

Alex Stalock (SJS)

Unfortunately there is no extra-attacker poll this week but instead of casting a vote leave a comment with your own All-NHL team for this season,