Boston BruinsPatrice Bergeron<\/p>\n
Bergeron is the NHL\u2019s best defensive center ever by the measurement of his record-setting six Selke Trophy wins. He evolved into a power-play specialist toward the conclusion of his career. He did all this by playing 1,294 career games, all with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2003. Bergeron is a guaranteed first-ballot entry. \u2014 Fluto Shinzawa<\/p>\n
McIndoe:<\/strong> Slam dunk.<\/p>\n \n Ryan Miller\u2019s 391 wins are the second-most ever by an American-born goalie in NHL history. (Jen Fuller \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Buffalo SabresRyan Miller<\/p>\n Miller is already a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and has a case for the Hockey Hall of Fame. His 391 wins are the second-most ever by an American-born goalie. He was twice an All-Star and won the Vezina once. He also won the Olympic MVP in 2010 with a 5-1-0 record, .946 save percentage and 1.35 goals-against average while leading Team USA to a silver medal. He\u2019s not a lock, but he has a case. \u2014 Matthew Fairburn<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> I\u2019ve given up on trying to figure out what the Hall will do with goalies. For years, they didn\u2019t induct enough, then they put in Mike Vernon and Tom Barrasso, two borderline picks with similar credentials to Miller. I wonder if Jonathan Quick\u2019s strong finish pushes Miller down the list.<\/p>\n Calgary FlamesMiikka Kiprusoff<\/p>\n Kiprusoff is a Flames franchise legend who can lay claim to being one of the NHL\u2019s best goaltenders of the 2000s, thanks to the Vezina and William M. Jennings trophies in his name from 2005-06 (even a Hart Trophy nomination) and his performance during the 2004 Stanley Cup run. The Finnish netminder even has an Olympic bronze medal in his trophy case. While not on the same level as Henrik Lundqvist or his contemporaries, an argument could be made for Kiprusoff because of what he accomplished at his peak. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> He wouldn\u2019t have my vote for the Hall due to his shorter career, but at his peak, he was absolutely a Hall-worthy player.<\/p>\n Carolina HurricanesBrent Burns<\/p>\n While coach Rod Brind\u2019Amour\u2019s candidacy is a hot-button topic \u2014 and let\u2019s be honest, he should receive induction as well \u2014 Burns should be a lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame. With more than 1,500 games played, over 900 points and three top-three finishes in Norris Trophy voting \u2014 including his win following the 2016-17 season \u2014 Burns shouldn\u2019t take long to get voted in once (if?) he retires. While he was past the peak of his game during his time in Raleigh, Burns has the resume to be enshrined even without a thus-far-elusive Stanley Cup championship. \u2014 Cory Lavalette<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> Nice try slipping the Brind\u2019Amour induction in there, Cory, but we can have that debate another day. Burns isn\u2019t quite a lock, but he\u2019s trending to being a safe pick.<\/p>\n Chicago BlackhawksPatrick Kane<\/p>\n The Blackhawks already have a few players from their most recent Stanley Cup championship teams headed to the Hall of Fame. Duncan Keith is the latest. Following him will undoubtedly be Kane and Jonathan Toews. Which player goes first depends on who retires first. Toews, 37, reset his clock by re-entering the NHL this season. Kane, 36, has been playing on one-year deals since leaving the Blackhawks. \u2014 Scott Powers<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> No argument here.<\/p>\n Colorado AvalancheNathan MacKinnon<\/p>\n When accounting for only Colorado years, MacKinnon has already passed Avalanche Hall of Famers Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk on his way to becoming Colorado\u2019s all-time points leader, and he\u2019s only 30 years old. He\u2019s currently playing in his 13th season with the Avs \u2014 the same number Sakic played \u2014 and he needs just 14 more goals to pass him for the most goals in franchise history. Along with his Calder Trophy in 2014 and a Lady Byng Trophy in 2020, MacKinnon won the Cup in 2022, a Hart Trophy in 2024 and looks poised to add to both this season. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> There might be a \u201cHas he done enough if he retired today?\u201d debate to be had here, but it\u2019s moot because he\u2019s not going anywhere. In fact, MacKinnon will probably play another decade, then celebrate his retirement by eating a single grain of white rice. He\u2019s in.<\/p>\n Columbus Blue JacketsSergei Bobrovsky<\/p>\n Bobrovsky had a messy ending in Columbus, but there\u2019s no question he established himself as a bona fide Hall of Fame-level player with the Blue Jackets from 2012-19. Bobrovsky won the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the NHL\u2019s top goaltender, in 2013 and 2017, and guided the franchise to its only playoff series win in 2019. In 370 starts with the Blue Jackets, Bobrovsky went 213-130-27 with a .921 save percentage and 33 shutouts. He owns every major goaltending record with the franchise. Bobrovsky has since cemented his credentials by winning the Stanley Cup twice with Florida. \u2014 Aaron Portzline<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> I was borderline two years ago, but the two Cup championships in Florida moved him into the virtual lock tier.<\/p>\n Dallas StarsJere Lehtinen<\/p>\n There are other Stars luminaries with more points than Lehtinen, but none that were better all-around players. Lehtinen was such a fabulous two-way player that he won three Selke trophies (and was in the top 10 of Selke voting six other times) despite being a winger, something all but unheard of since. He was the model Finnish player \u2014 dynamic enough offensively (seven seasons of at least 20 goals, including two 30-goal campaigns in the dead-puck era, plus 10 goals in Dallas\u2019 run to the Cup in 1999) without ever sacrificing defense. \u2014 Mark Lazerus<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> He was a great and criminally underrated player. He\u2019s not going to the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n Detroit Red WingsHenrik Zetterberg<\/p>\n Zetterberg was, above all, a winner. He is a member of the Triple Gold Club and won the Conn Smythe in 2008. He has had to wait because of counting stats \u2014 960 points in 1,082 games \u2014 and awards, but he was one of the NHL\u2019s premier two-way forwards for more than a decade, with five top-10 Selke finishes. His low-scoring era surely played a role in the numbers component. In the years that spanned Zetterberg\u2019s career \u2014 2002 through 2018 \u2014 only six players had more points. Everyone ahead of him (who has retired) is in the Hall of Fame, and so are the next two behind him. He deserves it. \u2014 Max Bultman<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> I\u2019ve always been a no on Zetterberg, but it\u2019s close. Put it this way: He\u2019s better than at least a few guys who are already in.<\/p>\n Edmonton OilersConnor McDavid<\/p>\n McDavid has one of the most crowded trophy cases of any player in league history \u2014 and he\u2019s not even 29 yet. He\u2019s won the Art Ross Trophy five times, the Ted Lindsay Award four times, the Hart Trophy three times and the Rocket Richard and Conn Smythe trophies once each. McDavid\u2019s already in the GOAT conversation. He might be the guy by the time he retires if he leads the Oilers to a Stanley Cup title. He\u2019s got three more chances to do that before his next contract is up. \u2014 Daniel Nugent-Bowman<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> Never heard of him.<\/p>\n Florida PanthersSergei Bobrovsky<\/p>\n Jarom\u00edr J\u00e1gr is under our games cutoff, as is Brad Marchand. But Bobrovsky is a no-brainer and currently \u2014 along with Andrei Vasilevskiy \u2014 the active goalie with the closest thing to a slam dunk Hockey Hall of Fame case. In addition to winning the Stanley Cup twice as a Panther, Bobrovsky has two Vezinas, was a Hart finalist in 2016-17, and sits 10th on the career wins list \u2014 with a chance to get into the top six this season. There\u2019s no way he doesn\u2019t get in at this point, especially after back-to-back postseason wins. Honorable mention: Aleksander Barkov. \u2014 James Mirtle<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> As I said under Columbus, he\u2019s in. But here\u2019s a fun question: If the Hockey Hall worked like baseball\u2019s used to and forced each player to go in wearing the \u201ccap\u201d of one team, is Bobrovsky a Panther or a Blue Jacket? Seven seasons each, with two Cups vs. two Vezinas. Hmm \u2026<\/p>\n \n Kings captain An\u017ee Kopitar will retire after the 2025-26 season. (Kiyoshi Mio \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n Los Angeles KingsAn\u017ee Kopitar<\/p>\n When you figure that he and Jonathan Quick, the franchise\u2019s greatest goalie, present compelling cases, it is hard to pick one without feeling the other is slighted. But Kopitar is more of a shoo-in given that he\u2019s the Kings\u2019 greatest player \u2014 Wayne Gretzky is the greatest to play for\u00a0the team \u2014 and is one of the finest two-way centers of his generation. Kopitar has two Selke trophies and three Lady Byng trophies. And he\u2019s a two-time Stanley Cup champion who, barring injury, will have more than 1,300 points and become the franchise\u2019s scoring leader. Case closed. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> He was such a good two-way player that I\u2019m always prepared to check his career totals and see that he\u2019s barely at 1,000 points. Instead, he\u2019s going to blow past 1,300. Start working on the speech, An\u017ee.<\/p>\n Minnesota WildMarc-Andre Fleury<\/p>\n Assuming he doesn\u2019t make a comeback when the calendar turns 2026, Fleury should be a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2028. The Hall of Fame human being and world-class prankster ended his career with the second-most games (1,051) and wins (575) in NHL history, three Stanley Cup wins, a Vezina Trophy and a William M. Jennings Trophy. Fleury was a beloved teammate and made life fun on the ice with entertaining glove saves and an affectionate relationship with his posts whenever an opponent shot a puck off of one. \u2014 Michael Russo<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> The \u201cfirst ballot\u201d part could be debatable for some, but Fleury is getting in. There was probably a debate to be had about him being a compiler on a great team when he left Pittsburgh \u2014 think of a modern-day Chris Osgood \u2014 but the Vegas years and subsequent Vezina ended that line of attack.<\/p>\n Montreal CanadiensJ.C. Tremblay<\/p>\n In 1972, with the Canadiens on the cusp of their last dynasty, Tremblay left the team to play for the Qu\u00e9bec Nordiques of the new WHA. He was 33 and had just had his two most productive seasons on the Canadiens\u2019 blue line with 120 points in 152 games. He went on to play seven seasons for the Nordiques, putting up 424 points in 454 games. When you combine his NHL and WHL numbers, Tremblay had 787 points in 1,250 games. He won the Stanley Cup five times. He was one of the best defensemen of his generation. He should be in. \u2014 Arpon Basu<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> Finally, some HHOF representation for the 1970s Habs! I kid, and Tremblay\u2019s a solid candidate. You\u2019d assume that he\u2019s a no based on how long he\u2019s waited, although with this committee, you\u2019re never quite sure.<\/p>\n Nashville PredatorsRoman Josi<\/p>\n Josi should be the first Nashville Predator who spent all (or most, depending on how things finish) of his career with the franchise to make the Hockey Hall of Fame. The 2020 Norris Trophy winner is 29th all-time in scoring among defensemen and should end up comfortably in the top 20. He\u2019s the highest-scoring Swiss player of all time and was the NHL\u2019s second-fastest defenseman to reach 600 points. \u2014 Joe Rexrode<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> It\u2019s rare for anyone to win a Norris and not make the Hall; only Randy Carlyle can say that among eligible players, although Mark Giordano and P.K. Subban are likely to join him. Josi\u2019s a solid step above all of those players, and I think he gets in.<\/p>\n New Jersey DevilsPatrik Eli\u00e1\u0161<\/p>\n Jarom\u00edr J\u00e1gr would be the answer if he reached the 200-game threshold, but with him just short, the debate came down to Eli\u00e1\u0161 or Ilya Kovalchuk, who has a long international resume to go along with his NHL achievements. I\u2019m going with Eli\u00e1\u0161, though, who has two Stanley Cups and is the Devils\u2019 franchise leader in goals and points and has an Olympic bronze to boot. He also has a higher MVP finish (six in 2000-01) than Kovalchuk ever did. \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> I\u2019ve always had Eli\u00e1\u0161 slotted in as a very good player (with gusts up to great) who fell just short of the Hall standard. Still, if he did get in someday, it wouldn\u2019t be indefensible.<\/p>\n New York IslandersJohn Tavares<\/p>\n The Islanders already have an elite class of names in the Hall of Fame from their championship era. So I think this pick has to come from more recent times. While I think Ilya Sorokin has the ceiling to be one of the best goaltenders in the world, and could easily be a Hall of Famer, it may be too soon to pick him. Instead, the honors belong to a more bittersweet pick: Tavares, whose skill and leadership helped guide the Islanders for nine seasons. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> I\u2019m sure Islanders fans will be cool about this. Now that he\u2019s at 500 goals, Tavares already has a strong case and can spend the next few years moving it to the sure-thing tier.<\/p>\n New York RangersMike Richter<\/p>\n Jarom\u00edr J\u00e1gr is the biggest shoo-in among players with ties to the Rangers, but as far as candidates who spent the majority of their careers in New York, the pick is Richter. Modest career numbers (301-258-73 record, .904 save percentage, 2.89 goals-against average) have held Richter back, but he\u2019s right there with Hall of Famers Ed Giacomin and Henrik Lundqvist among the greatest goalies in franchise history. He accomplished something neither of those icons did \u2014 winning the Stanley Cup in 1994 \u2014 and was stellar with a .921 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average on that playoff run. The Rangers\u2019 championship drought would still be going if not for Richter, who was also a three-time All-Star and top-eight finisher for the Vezina Trophy five times. \u2014 Vincent Z. Mercogliano<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> I\u2019m thoroughly enjoying the fact that every second team has to mention J\u00e1gr, even as he wasn\u2019t the final pick for any of them. (My brave take is that he gets in, by the way.) As for Richter, he wouldn\u2019t have my vote, but I\u2019m not sure he\u2019s that far off from the Mike Vernon case, and that one eventually came through.<\/p>\n Ottawa SenatorsErik Karlsson<\/p>\n Karlsson\u2019s resume is Hall of Fame-worthy, having established himself as one of the best offensive defensemen of his era (if not the best during his prime). Two of his three Norris trophies, five of his seven All-Star Game appearances and four of his NHL First All-Star Team mentions came as a member of the Senators. The elite Swede should be bound for the Hockey Hall of Fame as soon as he\u2019s eligible. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> No multiple-time Norris winners have ever failed to get the Hall invite. Karlsson will not be the first.<\/p>\n Philadelphia FlyersJohn LeClair<\/p>\n LeClair posted three consecutive 50-goal seasons from 1995-98, as the embodiment of a power forward who could score in a few different ways. The Flyers were a perennial playoff team throughout LeClair\u2019s tenure, sparked after they acquired him in February 1995. He won the Stanley Cup \u2014 not with the Flyers, of course, but with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. (I also owned his jersey as a kid. That counts for something, right?) \u2014 Kevin Kurz<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> Great pick by Kevin here. I\u2019m not completely convinced LeClair deserves a Hall call, but his case absolutely deserves more attention than it seems to get. Anyone who was the best player at their position for a five-year stretch has to be worth serious consideration, no?<\/p>\n Pittsburgh PenguinsSidney Crosby<\/p>\n Apologies in advance to Jarom\u00edr J\u00e1gr, who may well be one of the five greatest players who ever lived. J\u00e1gr, in fact, was perhaps more physically gifted than Crosby. If he ever decides to retire, I think he may just get in. But still, the answer is Crosby. He\u2019s top-five all-time. He scored perhaps the most famous goal in NHL history. His longevity his perhaps incomparable. So was his precociousness when he was a teenager. Crosby may also be the greatest captain in hockey history. I think his accomplishments speak for themselves. \u2014 Josh Yohe<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> I was a \u201cno\u201d heading into this, but Josh has convinced me.<\/p>\n \n Patrick Marleau owns the all-time record for most games played in NHL history. (Rich Lam \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n San Jose SharksPatrick Marleau<\/p>\n It is no surprise that Marleau, who\u2019ll be in his third year of eligibility next year, has been quite a debated case. He is the definition of sustained productivity at a high level without having that single monstrous season or loaded trophy case outside of the gold he won with Team Canada. The versatile forward\u2019s 566 goals and 1,197 points, while passing Gordie Howe and becoming the record holder for most NHL games played, are nothing to sniff at. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> He\u2019s a divisive pick who rarely, if ever, \u201cfelt\u201d like a Hall of Famer, but whose career numbers are hard to argue. I\u2019d be a no, but really, his legacy might be as the Hall\u2019s all-time \u201cpeak vs. longevity\u201d poster child.<\/p>\n Seattle KrakenMark Giordano<\/p>\n Giordano was a member of the Kraken\u2019s inaugural roster, playing 55 games for the startup franchise prior to a pre-deadline deal that sent him to Toronto, where he finished his illustrious and unlikely career. One of the greatest undrafted players in NHL history, Giordano played over 1,000 games and won the Norris Trophy in 2019. Typically, Norris winners end up becoming Hall of Famers, with only Randy Carlyle standing out as a historic exception to that rule. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> It\u2019s a solid case. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s enough, but he\u2019ll make for an interesting discussion when his name comes up.<\/p>\n St. Louis BluesKeith Tkachuk<\/p>\n Tkachuk was arguably the best power forward of his era. In 1996-97, he scored 52 goals, becoming the first American-born player to lead the NHL in goals. In a two-year span, his 102 goals (50 and 52) ranked No. 3 behind Mario Lemieux (119) and Jarom\u00edr J\u00e1gr (109). He finished with 538, which ranks No. 35 all-time. The only players ahead of him not the the Hall of Fame are Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos, who will be in the Hall, and Patrick Marleau, who may be one day. Tkachuk is also No. 15 all-time in power-play goals (212) and No. 41 in penalty minutes (2,219). \u2014 Jeremy Rutherford<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> Over the years, I\u2019ve shifted from having Tkachuk as a borderline yes to thinking he\u2019s an outright snub. Maybe not quite in the Mogilny level of \u201cwhat\u2019s taking so long?\u201d but not far off. Put him in already.<\/p>\n Tampa Bay LightningVictor Hedman<\/p>\n Any member of Tampa Bay\u2019s core makes sense here \u2014 Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and even former members such as Steven Stamkos. These are all future Hall of Famers and cornerstones of the organization. But to start, let\u2019s go with Hedman, whose all-around elite presence on the back end transformed the franchise into a contender and helped lead them to two Stanley Cup titles. He isn\u2019t just one of the best players to wear a Lightning jersey, but has been one of the premier defensemen in the world through most of his career. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n McIndoe:<\/strong> The Lightning have an embarrassment of riches in this debate, many of whom are locks. Hedman included, obviously.<\/p>\n Toronto Maple LeafsAuston Matthews<\/p>\n With apologies to John Tavares, who will have a strong case for the Hall of Fame when his career eventually wraps up, Matthews might already be a lock. He\u2019s won three Rocket Richard trophies, an MVP and a Calder as the league\u2019s top rookie. He is one of only nine players with at least two 60-goal seasons. His combination of all-time-great scoring and elite defending has arguably never been seen before. Matthews will soon become the top goal scorer for one of the NHL\u2019s Original Six franchises, and while playoff success would obviously boost his legacy, what he\u2019s accomplished already is the stuff of legends. \u2014 Jonas Siegel<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-167317227-scaled.jpg\")
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