COLUMBUS The three-hour drivefrom Pittsburgh to the 2015 All-Star Game wassimple. Pleasant, even. A large portion of the trip features a 70-mph speed limit, and Ohio's rest stops are top-notch, if that's the sort of stuff you pay attention to; the vending machines carry Cherry Coke Zero and beef jerky. That's not all they carry that'd be weird but ... you get it. MORE: | | As I-70 neared Columbus, though, there was an odd, almost offputting number of abandoned cars on the side of the highway. It wasn't "Walking Dead"-caliber, but it was more than a couple. In its own way, that was the perfect metaphor for weekend: On your right is Sidney Crosby's RangeRover. He was past Pataskala when he realized he didn't feel like dealing with all of this. Hey, there's Erik Johnson's Mercedes. Yep, not that anyone here cares and they shouldn't, because it'll be fun regardle s but there are some noticeable absences from the proceedings. Crosby is hurt.Evgeni Malkin is too. P.K. Subban, for whatever reason, never made it on the roster in the first place. Poor Sergei Bobrovsky. The list goes on. So, Friday's All-Star Fantasy Draft presented by DraftKings, fueled by Reebok andpowered by GoPro is a little thin. We haven't had one since 2012 because of the 2013 lockout and 2014 Olympics but we forge ahead.Come on gang, let's believe in ourselves!This event can still be great, and here's how. A Toews breakout Whether you've heard it or just a sumed, the Blackhawks star has an actual personality lurking under the "Captain Serious" facade. . There's not going to be a better time to put that on display than Friday night, presumably from apodium of some sortat Columbus' convention center. Like most things, he gets it he's joked about making sure he picks the right number of forwards and defenseman and will have Patrick Kane on the other side to me s with. That'll certainly help. "I'll save myself for the rest of the season and pick one or two of them." -Toews on teammates in draft. NHL (@NHL) "I don't think it's meant to be a completely serious weekend. Obviously you want to go and showcase your skills and show why you're there and represent your team in the right fashion, but Mathew Barzal Jersey it's something you can definitely enjoy," he said earlier this week in Pittsburgh. "Not put as much pre sure on yourself, maybe, as you would with your regular team." It's not just le s pre sure, though. It's zero pre sure. There's no reason to take this seriously, other than as an opportunity to have fun. Same goes for Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno, who, with help from Kane and Drew Doughty,picking the other team. That's P.K. Subban's music! In that same vein, it truly sucks that maybe the one dude in the league guaranteed to put on a show during the actual draft isn't around for it. It's not anyone's fault, per se; the every-team-gets-a-player model guarantees stuff like this. Not many defensemen were unable to play, either, so that limited the opportunities to get Subban on the roster as a fill-in. Hopefully by the time Johnson pulled out, Subban was somewhere warm. Still, doesn't all this feel like a mi sed opportunity? Subban is the most charismatic star in the league by a wide margin that's not particularly debatable. So, here's hoping that he's camped out under the stage at the convention center, ready to ascend on a platform, Undertaker-style,as Toews is on the clock. It's po sible. It has to be po sible. A Rick Nash heel turn We're mi sing out on Nash actually getting drafted; he and Ryan Getzlafare Toews' a sistants.The Rangers winger has a little history with the Columbus and it's not like he'd have been a throwaway pick, either. He's tied atopthe league in goals, with 28. Asked on Friday to predict fan reaction, his answer was simple enough:"My gut is boos." Best-case scenario: Nash's name is announced before the selection starts,he's showered with the aforementioned boos, andthen he, Toews and Getzlaf pose together, NWO-style, while mugging for the cameras. Is Rick Nash is the third man? He is! The Phil Ke sel Comedy Hour The Maple Leafs winger was the first last pick, back in 2011. It was ... tough to watch. "I could care le s (about it)," Ke sel said on Friday. "I got a car." Exactly, dude. More one-liners. Keep a camera on him at all times. What better time to ? A funny final pick Honestly, if they're going to go through with that format again and they may not make sure the right guy gets picked last. Someone funny, specifically. Bobby Ryan, come on down:"Im looking forward to it, Im just hoping I dont go last ... I really dont want a Kia," Ryan t . "I'm pretty much a politician today. I'm calling in favours and threatening friendships." Bobby Ryan on not being taken last. Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) Alcohol Let's "Match Game" it up out there, boys. Brock Nelson Jersey