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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
The Hockey Hall of Fame is going to swing open its doors to some impressive former NHL stars in the next few years. Legends such as Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton, Duncan Keith and Patrice Bergeron. Eventually Jaromir Jagr will be inducted. Probably in his 80s, when he’s done playing.
The Hall can welcome up to four men’s players in every annual class. Given how many current NHL players have a legitimate case for immortality, the selection committee will not suffer for a lack of choices.
Here is a tiered ranking of active NHL players based on their current Hall of Fame cases. We’ve picked the brain of Hockey Hall of Fame expert Paul Pidutti of Adjusted Hockey to help figure out the locks, the maybes, “the Hall of Very Good” and which young stars are on the path to greatness.
Let’s begin with the two players who have defined this century of hockey, and another player whose legend has grown to the point where he’s a sure-thing Hall of Famer.
Skip the wait (if they still did this)
Sidney Crosby
Connor McDavid
Alex Ovechkin
In 1999, the Hall of Fame Selection Committee waived the mandatory three-year waiting period to enshrinement for Wayne Gretzky, which is what happens when your name appears in the record books as much as the word “hockey.”
It was the 10th time a player was admitted early, and it would be the last time it happened for on-ice achievement. The committee amended its rules to waive the three-year wait only for “certain humanitarian circumstances.”
But let’s say the Hall still had the “let’s not delay the inevitable” provision. Three current players would earn the golden ticket.
Through 1,289 games, Crosby had 1,612 career points, good for 10th all time in the NHL. He has Joe Sakic (ninth, 1,641) within reach this season. After that, it’s Mario Lemieux (eighth, 1,723) — who, it should be said, leads Crosby (1.25) in career points per game (1.88) — Steve Yzerman (seventh, 1,755), Marcel Dionne (sixth, 1,771) and Ron Francis (fifth, 1,798).
But Crosby’s case goes well beyond the numbers. Three Stanley Cup wins and two Conn Smythe trophies. Two Hart trophies, leading the NHL twice in points and goals. Triple Gold Club membership, including a rather significant goal in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Being the personification of hockey excellence for two decades in the eyes of his peers and subsequent generations. That’s “skip the line” stuff.
So is becoming the greatest goal scorer in NHL history. One could make the argument that Alex Ovechkin is the goal-scoring GOAT when adjusted for era. But it’s becoming increasingly clear with every goal this season that The Great 8 is likely to pass The Great One’s 894 career goals, shattering a record many considered unbreakable. (Unless the NHL, like, made every goal count twice.)
Add in a Stanley Cup win with a Conn Smythe, world junior and world championship gold to one of the most prestigious records in sports, and Ovechkin would earn the exemption. But let’s not forget that the Hockey Hall of Fame exists to tell the story of the game. Crosby and Ovechkin were the two most important players to the growth of the NHL since Gretzky.
The last time we did this exercise, McDavid was in the “Immortal Locks” category, but we’ve bumped him up here. This is his 10th NHL season. He has won league MVP three times and five scoring titles. He has been selected playoff MVP in a losing effort — only the second skater to win the Conn Smythe on a team that didn’t win the Stanley Cup, and the first since 1976.
So he doesn’t have a Stanley Cup yet and has to wait until 2026 for a chance at Olympic gold. But he does have gold in the IIHF world championships and the U20 and U18 world championships.
McDavid is within reach of 1,000 career points and becoming the fourth fastest to hit the mark in NHL history behind Gretzky, Lemieux and Mike Bossy — without the benefit of having played in the 1980s.
With his era in mind, it’s inarguably one of the best stretches any player has had in NHL history. But beyond that is the sheer ethereal nature of McDavid: The NHL has never seen his combination of speed and playmaking ability. He’s a 1-of-1 talent, the kind for whom they swing open the doors of the Hall of Fame.
“It’s a good call,” Pidutti said. “I recently wrote an article about Jaromir Jagr and the ‘waive [the wait]’ players. McDavid is one of them.”
Immortal locks
Marc-Andre Fleury
Victor Hedman
Erik Karlsson
Anze Kopitar
Nikita Kucherov
Evgeni Malkin
Nathan MacKinnon
Brad Marchand
Patrick Kane
Steven Stamkos
According to Pidutti, Malkin is the closest to the tier that Crosby inhabits. Using his own methodology to determine worthiness of candidates, he has determined 40 players whose on-ice achievement places them in the “inner circle” or “the greatest among the greatest” of players. Among active players, the only ones who qualify under Pidutti’s criteria are Crosby, Ovechkin, McDavid … and Malkin.
His career points-per-game average (1.13) is 23rd all time for players with a minimum of 500 games. He has a Calder, a Hart, two scoring titles and a Conn Smythe to his credit — along with three Stanley Cups some international gold.
After Nicklas Lidstrom retired in 2012, two Swedish countrymen filled the void as the NHL’s best defenseman. Karlsson won three Norris trophies and Hedman won one, but they had a combined 11 appearances as a finalist. Karlsson is one of the best offensive defensemen in NHL history, lingering around the top 10 in points per game. Hedman is the more complete defenseman, and a foundational piece for two Stanley Cup winners.
Kane has the 10th-most points for a right wing in NHL history, and is the third-highest scorer among U.S. players. Stamkos has the third-most goals in the Crosby/Ovechkin era. Kopitar has two Selkes, two Stanley Cups and is fifth in points among active players. Pidutti has Marchand ranked as the seventh-most worthy skater for the Hall of Fame. He’s a clear second to Ovechkin among left wingers in that era.
Fleury’s also an easy call: a Vezina, three Stanley Cups, second all time in wins and No. 1 in our hearts as a source of hockey cheerfulness.
Frankly, that’s the only thing that gives us pause about one of the newest edition to this tier: Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, who can be an acquired taste attitudinally. He has the third-highest points-per-game average among active players (mininum 500 games), four 100-point seasons, a Hart Trophy and two Stanley Cups. Using his Hall of Fame value metric, Pidutti has him eighth, right behind Marchand. At 31, he has time to build on a legacy that might already be Hall-worthy.
“I fully support it. I think he’s the type of player that if he retired now, everyone would be absolutely stunned at how strong his numbers hold up,” Pidutti said. “To me, he’s an elite player in a way that people aren’t appreciating now in terms of the offense he’s produced and the awards he’s won.”
On the way
Aleksander Barkov
Cale Makar
Leon Draisaitl
Kirill Kaprizov
Auston Matthews
Nathan MacKinnon
Mikko Rantanen
Artemi Panarin
David Pastrnak
While we throw the term “generational talent” around in sports like a peanut vendor, Markar and Matthews have earned the label. The Avalanche defenseman is considered the best offensive blueliner since Bobby Orr. The Maple Leafs captain has the second-highest goals-per-game average in NHL history (0.65) behind Lemieux, for centers with at least 500 games played.
Draisaitl is 12th on that list (0.49) and has a Hart Trophy to his credit while playing in the considerable shadow of McDavid. That’s the downside of an all-world teammate. The upside is that Draisaitl could have another eight-plus years vacuuming up points with McDavid on the ice.
Since 2016-17, Pastrnak is fourth in goals (330) and one of only five players with over 300 in that span. He has 355 career goals, well within range of Johnny Bucyk’s Bruins record of 545, given Pastrnak’s age (28).
MacKinnon might be close to making the leap to the next tier after finally winning a Hart Trophy last season. Since his 2017-18 breakout season, MacKinnon is third in points per game (1.43) among all skaters. Rantanen was ninth in points per game (1.20) during that span, the beneficiary of MacKinnon’s dominance but a player building a Hall of Fame case of his own.
This tier has a trio of new additions since the last edition:
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Barkov is building the offensive numbers case — he’s 16th among active players in points per game (0.97) — but more importantly has become the kind of default choice for the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward that Patrice Bergeron and Pavel Datsyuk were — to name a future and current Hall of Famer, respectively. Driving his team to the Stanley Cup last season also certainly helps Barkov.
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Panarin is one of the most gifted scoring wingers of the past 20 years, and is fifth among active players in points per game (1.17). He won the Calder, was a Hart Trophy finalist and has world junior gold to his credit. But he’s 33 years old and the clock is ticking on greater NHL accomplishments.
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We had to move Panarin’s countryman Kaprizov into this tier after witnessing the MVP-worthy start to his season with 28 points in 15 games. He’s chasing his fourth straight season of 40-plus goals, which is goal scoring on the level of a Matthews or Draisaitl. He got a late start in the NHL at 23 years old after playing in Russia, but he has made up for lost time as one of the league’s best goal scorers, with a Calder Trophy to his credit. Don’t forget that unlike others in this tier, Kirill The Thrill also has Olympic gold from the 2018 Games, where he had nine points in six games during the NHL-less tournament.
In the interest of equal time, Pidutti makes the case that MacKinnon and Draisaitl should be one tier up in the “Immortal Locks” category.
“There’s sort of the modern standard, at least from all of my work, which is essentially 700 games. That’s where Peter Forsberg, Eric Lindros and Cam Neely are, some of the shortest careers you’ll find in there,” he said. “MacKinnon and Draisaitl both hold up really well to those guys.”
Pidutti agrees that MacKinnon’s MVP win bolsters his case and that Draisaitl’s postseason numbers — 108 points in 74 games — could clinch the Hall for him.
Team Canada darlings
Drew Doughty
Corey Perry
Alex Pietrangelo
Carey Price
John Tavares
Jonathan Toews (free agent)
At last check, the Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto. Having Canadian hockey heroes as the centerpiece of induction weekend is never a bad financial idea. And nothing sells better in Canada than Canadian hockey exceptionalism.
Since 2010, the Canada men’s national team won Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014, and captured the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 in a tournament held steps from the Hockey Hall of Fame. A number of these players starred on those teams, along with having exemplary NHL careers as well.
The highest-ranked player on this list via Pidutti’s metrics is Doughty, who lands in the “exceeds the HOF standard” tier. He has two Stanley Cup wins, a Norris Trophy win and three times as a finalist. Though he was never an offensive juggernaut like some of his peers, he was a solid all-around defenseman and a winner.
Speaking of winners, Pidutti has Toews higher in his ranking than any forward listed here. The former Chicago Blackhawks captain stepped away from hockey after the 2022-23 season for health considerations but has not formally retired, as he remains an unrestricted free agent. With three Stanley Cup wins, a Conn Smythe and a Selke, he’s probably Hall-bound.
Around these two are Price, who is still a member of the Montreal Canadiens despite not having played since 2021-22; and Tavares, the star center for the Maple Leafs. Pidutti has Price slightly exceeding the standard, no doubt bolstered by that all-timer 2014-15 season when he won the Hart, the Vezina, the NHLPA player of the year and the Jennings for fewest goals allowed. Tavares is the eighth-highest active scorer in the NHL (1,054 points) and was twice nominated for the Hart.
Perry won the Hart in 2010-11 and ranks seventh among active players in goals (432) and fifth in games played (1,327) — the latter stat being a tribute to Perry’s metamorphosis from antagonistic star winger for the Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks to antagonistic hockey nomad who specializes in losing the Stanley Cup as a depth forward.
Finally there’s Pietrangelo, who was a foundational piece of two different Stanley Cup championship teams — and Vegas might not be done winning them yet. He doesn’t have a Norris Trophy win, but he has also played in an era with some really, really good defensemen.
Veteran maybes
Nicklas Backstrom
Jamie Benn
Brent Burns
John Carlson
Matt Duchene
Claude Giroux
Roman Josi
Kris Letang
Phil Kessel (free agent)
Ryan O’Reilly
Tyler Seguin
Mark Stone
Ryan Suter
Vladimir Tarasenko
The most prominent name in this category in last year’s edition was Joe Pavelski, who ended up with 476 goals and 1,068 points. Giroux has more points than that (1,078 in 1,197 games) and is still producing with the Ottawa Senators. Backstrom is just behind them with 1,033 points in 1,105 games. He stepped away from the game last season and is on long-term injured reserve with the Capitals.
One of Backstrom’s teammates makes this tier for the first time: Carlson is in his 16th season and has had a bit of a renaissance since Spencer Carbery took over the team. He was a Norris finalist only once but did help the Capitals to their only Stanley Cup win. Carlson also has world junior gold that he won with a memorable overtime goal against Canada in 2010.
Through Tuesday night, Carlson is sixth among active defensemen with 685 points. That puts him behind Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (748), who has two Stanley Cup wins for Pittsburgh.
“Carlson is still playing really well this year and he’s creeping up and up and up,” Pidutti said. “I think he could end up looking closer to Kris Letang than people think.”
Josi is also ahead of Carlson with 697 career points along with a Norris Trophy win. He’s the highest scoring Swiss-born player in NHL history by nearly 250 points.
For all this talk about high-scoring defensemen, it should be noted that no one has scored more than Brent Burns (886 in 1,429 games). It should also be noted that he wasn’t a defenseman during his entire NHL run. But he has a Norris Trophy and he’s 14th all time among defensemen in scoring — although his production has slowed to a crawl.
Benn (914 points) has a higher total than Dallas teammates Duchene (827) and Seguin (799), although Seguin is the only one of the three to have a Stanley Cup win. Tarasenko has a pair of Cup wins to his credit, but he’s out of the top 30 for active goal scorers.
O’Reilly and Stone are both interesting cases from a two-way player perspective. They were both integral parts of Stanley Cup championship teams. They’re both elite defensive players, although only O’Reilly has a Selke win thanks to the award’s inherent bias against wingers. (Stone is a two-time finalist, however).
Is Ryan Suter a Hall of Famer? He’s eighth all time in games played for a defenseman (1,460) and sixth among active defensemen in points (685). But he was a Norris finalist only once, never won a Stanley Cup but does have some world junior gold. This smells like a “Mark Howe, veterans’ committee years down the line” selection if anything.
Finally, there’s sweet Phil Kessel, currently a free agent. He’s an NHL iron man with 413 goals and 992 points, the owner of three Stanley Cup rings. Kessel has a case. It would be a victory for the everyman if he were to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. And a speech for the ages.
Prime-time maybes
Sebastian Aho
Adam Fox
Jack Eichel
Filip Forsberg
Jake Guentzel
Mitch Marner
Charlie McAvoy
Elias Pettersson
Brayden Point
Mark Scheifele
Brady Tkachuk
Matthew Tkachuk
The highest career scorer in this group is Scheifele, with 738 points and 306 goals. He has been a classic “very good but not a superstar” center for most of his career, but with the way the Jets are cooking this season who knows what his reputation ends up looking like?
Marner has 659 points in 593 career games, and it’ll obviously be fascinating to see where his career takes him after this season. Maybe a change in scenery is good: Like with Eichel, whose time in Vegas has substantially raised his Hall of Fame case, especially with the way he played in the team’s Stanley Cup run.
Guentzel has a pair of Cup wins with the Penguins and 504 points in 534 career games. Point, who plays with Guentzel in Tampa Bay, also has a pair of Cup wins to go with outstanding postseason numbers. Matthew Tkachuk earned his Stanley Cup ring last season, has a pair of 40-goal seasons and at 26 years old has plenty of time to build his case — one might say he already has the “fame” part down. His brother Brady has some work to do, with 367 points in 455 games as compared to 589 points in 601 games for Matthew.
Both Tkachuk brothers could add to their accomplishments with international championships in the 4 Nations Face-off and the 2026 Winter Olympics. The same goes for their Team USA mates McAvoy of the Bruins and Fox of the Rangers, the latter of whom has a Norris Trophy to his credit.
Of course, international play doesn’t just mean the U.S. vs. Canada, despite the assumed focus of the 4 Nations Face-off. Aho, one of the best two-way centers in the NHL, will chase gold for Finland. Pettersson and Forsberg should do the same with Sweden.
“Filip Forsberg made a year-end all-star team for the first time,” Pidutti said. “His numbers are tracking similarly to Scheifele’s.”
Goalie tier
Sergei Bobrovsky
Connor Hellebuyck
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Andrei Vasilevskiy
The selection committee’s overall approach to player induction is challenging for observers to decipher. That’s never more evident when it comes to goaltenders.
The legends get in quick, such as Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist. Then you get goalies such as Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon, who waited 18 years, and Rogie Vachon, who was in the Class of 2016 after playing his last game in 1981-82 season a.k.a. Ronald Reagan’s first term in office.
Pidutti has Fleury as a lock, but Vasilevskiy isn’t all that far behind him in the rankings, right on the cusp of “slightly exceeds” status. He has one Vezina Trophy, four straight finishes as a finalist, to go along with two Stanley Cup wins and a Conn Smythe Trophy. His reputation as an impenetrable postseason goalie has taken a hit, but he’s tied for fourth all time in postseason save percentage for goalies with a minimum of 100 games played.
Pidutti is also high on Hellebuyck, who won his second Vezina Trophy last season. His work rate has been his calling card, facing 15,779 shots in 518 career games and posting a stellar .917 save percentage. He could use a little more postseason hardware and some team success — with either Winnipeg or Team USA.
Bobrovsky has had team success, winning the Stanley Cup last season. Like Hellebuyck, he also has two Vezina wins and a solid .915 save percentage. In Pidutti’s rankings, he has Bobrovsky third behind Fleury and Vasilevskiy among active goalies.
At 28, Shesterkin would need an epic run to get on the Hall of Fame short list, although he does have a Vezina win to his credit and three straight seasons of 30-plus wins. His current backup with the Rangers, Quick, is a fascinating case: He was fourth in wins and led the league in shutouts from 2010 to 2018, winning two Stanley Cups with the Kings. He added another as a member of the Golden Knights. At the peak of powers, few were better in Quick’s era.
The young stars tier
Connor Bedard
Rasmus Dahlin
Miro Heiskanen
Jack Hughes
Quinn Hughes
Jason Robertson
Tim Stützle
We’re casting a bit of a wide net in this category, with ages that range from 25 down to 19. Just let it be known that these are the players on the way up, with a few having a rocket strapped to their backs.
Like the Hughes brothers. Quinn won the Norris last season after a 92-point season. Jack has 300 points in his first 325 NHL games. Both will play a key role on U.S. national teams. The same goes for Robertson, who had back-to-back 40-goal seasons before dipping to 29 goals last season. The jury remains out on the Stars’ star. Stützle, meanwhile, continues on an upward trajectory for the Sens.
Dahlin, Heiskanen and Seider, the latter of whom won the Calder in 2021-22, are all looking for their first Norris.
Finally, there’s Bedard. For all of our previous poo-poo’ing of “generational talents,” Bedard has shown flashes of being just that, with 22 goals in 68 games last season en route to winning the Calder. He won world junior gold twice and set a world record for world junior points by a player under age 19 — previously held by Jagr.
Obviously, Bedard’s career success depends greatly on the Blackhawks getting their collective act together and him fulfilling his potential.
And if that happens, maybe one day Bedard will be an immortal lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame.