The 10 No-Doubt Future Hockey Hall of Famers Currently Active in the NHL
Not everything has to be difficult.
While the B/R hockey team is always ready, willing and able to wade in and dissect the NHL's complex issues, an occasional grab at low-hanging fruit isn't so bad either.
And when it comes to forecasting a crop of future Hall of Famers from the league's current group of active players, there are plenty of candidates from which to choose.
So the puck-happy writer types scanned the stat sheets, perused the awards rosters and came up with a list of 10 no-doubters—along with five honorable mentions—for enshrinement on Yonge Street in Toronto three years after they've hung up their skates.
Take a look at what we've come up with and drop a thought of your own in the comments.
Sidney Crosby
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The Stats: 550 goals (29th, all-time), 1,502 points (15th, all-time), 1.26 points per game (8th, all time)
The Awards: Art Ross Trophy (2), Rocket Richard Trophy (2), Hart Memorial Trophy (2), Conn Smythe Trophy (2), Stanley Cup (3)
The Conclusion: A player labeled a franchise-changer upon his draft in 2005, Crosby has more than lived up to the billing across 18 stellar seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's been a point-per-game player in each of those seasons and arrives to 2023-24 as the league's active leader in assists and points and its No. 2 man in goals.
Marc-Andre Fleury
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The Stats: 544 wins (3rd, all-time), 73 shutouts (12th, all-time), 985 games (4th, all-time)
The Awards: Vezina Trophy, William Jennings Trophy, Stanley Cup (3)
The Conclusion: The Penguins made Fleury just the third goaltender to be drafted No. 1 overall in 2003 and he more than rewarded their confidence across 13 decorated seasons before an expansion claim by Vegas in 2017. He was an instant success and helped the Golden Knights to four straight playoff berths before moving on to Chicago and Minnesota.
Patrick Kane
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The Stats: 451 goals (63rd, all-time), 786 assists (36th, all-time), 1.05 points per game (T-43rd, all-time)
The Awards: Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, Calder Trophy, Stanley Cup (3)
The Conclusion: A third straight No. 1 overall pick on our list, Kane has established himself as one of the all-time best U.S.-born players while claiming nearly every significant award available. He's among the top-10 Americans in goals, assists and points and left the Chicago Blackhawks, an Original Six franchise, as their No. 3 man in games played.
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Erik Karlsson
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The Stats: 178 goals (27th, all-time defense), 583 assists (20th, all-time defense), 761 points (21st, all-time defense)
The Awards: Norris Trophy (3)
The Conclusion: Karlsson, a 33-year-old Swede, is working his way toward "ageless wonder" territory after posting the best season of his career in 2022-23. He became the 15th defenseman to reach 100 points, and, after an offseason trade to Pittsburgh, will try to capture a Norris Trophy with a third team after previous wins in Ottawa and San Jose.
Anze Kopitar
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The Stats: 1,141 points (11th, all-time Europeans), 1,292 games (16th, all-time Europeans), 12,755 face-off wins (3rd, all-time)
The Awards: Selke Trophy (2), Lady Byng Trophy (2), Stanley Cup (2)
The Conclusion: Chosen No. 11 overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2005, Kopitar became the first Slovenian-born player to reach the NHL when he debuted as a 19-year-old in 2006. He led the playoffs in scoring during the team's championship runs in both 2012 and 2014 and has played in five NHL All-Star Games, most recently in 2020.
Evgeni Malkin
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The Stats: 758 assists (45th, all-time), 1,229 points (T-43rd, all-time), 173 power-play goals (31st, all-time)
The Awards: Art Ross Trophy (2), Hart Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, Calder Trophy, Stanley Cup (3)
The Conclusion: Though he's often remembered as Robin to teammate Sidney Crosby's Batman, Malkin established himself as a preeminent individual talent right from the jump with goals in each of his first six NHL games. He's continued the run across 17 seasons, and has been a point-per-game player in six of seven seasons since turning 30 in 2016.
Connor McDavid
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The Stats: 1.49 points per game (4th, all-time), 153 points in 2022-23 (15th, all-time), 64 goals in 2022-23 (T-25th, all-time)
The Awards: Art Ross Trophy (5), Rocket Richard Trophy, Hart Trophy (3)
The Conclusion: The second truly transcendent player to wear an Edmonton Oilers uniform, McDavid arrived as the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, became the team's captain soon after and hasn't looked back. His 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons, in which he averaged 1.88 and 1.87 points per game, respectively, are two of the NHL's all-time top 25 statistically.
Alex Ovechkin
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The Stats: 822 goals (2nd, all-time), 299 power-play goals (1st, all-time), 0.61 goals per game (7th, all-time)
The Awards: Art Ross Trophy, Rocket Richard Trophy (9), Hart Trophy (3), Conn Smythe Trophy, Calder Trophy, Stanley Cup
The Conclusion: Surely the best goal-scorer of his era and perhaps the best in league history, Ovechkin is approaching a supposedly unbreakable NHL record—Wayne Gretzky's 894 goals from 1979 through 1999. Now 37, the "Great 8" enters the 2023-24 season just 72 goals shy of tying Gretzky and has averaged 50 goals per 82 games played.
Steven Stamkos
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The Stats: 515 goals (40th, all-time), 0.51 goals per game (T-19th, all-time), 195 power-play goals (22nd, all-time)
The Awards: Rocket Richard Trophy (2), Stanley Cup (2)
The Conclusion: The first overall pick in the 2008 draft, Stamkos has evolved from a young star into a respected leader by maintaining a remarkable level of consistency across 15 seasons. He's scored at least 40 goals six times, at least 50 goals twice and became one of just 42 players in league history to reach 60 when he led the NHL in 2011-12.
Jonathan Toews
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The Stats: 63.12 face-off percentage in 2022-23 (1st, all-time), 57.32 face-off percentage (12th, all-time), 11,986 face-off wins (4th, all-time)
The Awards: Selke Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, Stanley Cup (3)
The Conclusion: He's neither the most prolific scorer nor assist man in league history, but there aren't many players who've had a bigger impact from a leadership perspective than Toews, a three-time Cup winner. Few who've ever played have been more reliable to win a big face-off and he is among Chicago's all-time leaders in every significant category.
Honorable Mentions: Draisaitl, Hedman, MacKinnon, Matthews, Vasilevskiy
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The bar for making the Hall of Fame is extremely high, but there are a number of current players who could or will have a strong case when all is said and done.
Leon Draisaitl: A scoring title and an MVP by age 25, Draisaitl's 0.48 goals per game clip is already good for a tie for 32nd on the league's all-time list.
Victor Hedman: A towering Swede at 6'7" and 244 pounds, Hedman collected a Norris Trophy in 2018 before adding a Conn Smythe and two Stanley Cups in five seasons since.
Nathan MacKinnon: A Calder Trophy came instantly but MacKinnon has elevated since 2017, recording six straight point-per-game seasons and winning a Stanley Cup in 2022.
Auston Matthews: To say it's been a prolific seven seasons is an understatement. Matthews' 0.62 goals per game are sixth-best in NHL history and he's never netted fewer than 34.
Andrei Vasilevskiy: The league's top-money goaltender has already posted an NHL-record six shutouts in series-clinching wins, including both the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup Finals.
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