Filip Forsberg to replace Evgeni Malkin in All-Star Game

Consider Thursday, Filip Forsberg’s Bar Mitzvah – the evening in which he went from a rookie star to an All-Star! Or went from boy to man. Or mild-mannered student to superhero. No, Filip wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider and turned into an … ok I’ll stop there.

He’s an All-Star because Evgeni Malkin has a lower-body injury and couldn’t play in the game. Also, if you’re the NHL can you really disturb any of #theplayers vacation plans?

It would be like ‘Hey, uh Nicklas Backstrom – can you not go to Mexico for a few days and come to Columbus instead?’ No way that could happen. No frikken way. (Ed note: I have no idea where Nicklas Backstrom is going for the break. He’s just really good and didn’t make the team and would be a logical substitution).

Sadly for Brian Elliott he had his cell phone on earlier when the NHL called to have him replace Sergei Bobrovsky. And he was so close to going to the Bahamas.(Ed note 2: In all sincerity, good for Elliott on wanting to participate).

Jeff Skinner jumped in back in 2011, and was given the total rock star treatment by the Raleigh, N.C. faithful. Of course – like Forsberg – Skinner was going to partake in the rookie stuff, which is how he was named anyway.

On his own merits Forsberg is still a worthy candidate. He has 40 points in 45 games on the season to lead Nashville. He will now compete in the game, rather than just the skills competition. And every time he accrues one of those points, Martin Erat demands another trade … or a Washington Capitals fan cries about that trade.

- - - - - - -

Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY