Predicting every NHL team’s future Hall of Famers
Washington Capitals – Alex Ovechkin
Other than Crosby, I don’t think there’s an easier pick for the Hall of Fame among active players. Alex Ovechkin is already one of the greatest goal scorers of all-time. No matter where he ends up, he’ll go down as one of the best ever at doing the hardest thing to do in all of hockey.
Ovechkin has a decent shot of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s previously untouchable career goals record. It’ll require him to stick around for a bit, but if there’s one thing I know, it’s to never bet against Ovechkin scoring goals.
The Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe he won in 2018 put an exclamation point on his career. Ovechkin was already a Hall of Famer before he won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe. But now he’s a no-brainer. The lone thing his resume lacks is an Olympic Gold Medal.
Washington Capitals – Nicklas Backstrom
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
Nicklas Backstrom is going to be a Hall of Famer one day. It probably won’t be on the first ballot because he has never won an individual award or even been a finalist for one. But Backstrom’s going to retire as one of the most productive Swedish players of all-time.
He’s going to hit the 1,000 point plateau very soon, as he’s just 73 points away from it. Also, nobody in the salary cap era has more seasons with at least 50 assists than Backstrom.
Honorable mentions: Peter Bondra is yet another “Hall of Very Good” guy, but he still has a pretty compelling case. He was one of the NHL’s top goal scorers during his career. Unfortunately, he didn’t get enough points. His lack of individual awards certainly doesn’t help his cause either.
Sergei Gonchar never won a Norris Trophy but was consistently in the discussion during his prime. He should get in because he’s one of the best, if not the best, Russian defensemen in NHL history. Gonchar could have to wait a while, though.
John Carlson has a slim chance of making it. A Norris Trophy would make his case a lot stronger, especially if you consider how great he was during the Capitals’ Stanley Cup run. It’ll take him quite a bit of luck to get in, though. And let’s be honest – if Burns is in the conversation, there’s no reason Carlson shouldn’t be if he wins the Norris this season.