Super 16: Makar of Avalanche, Bobrovsky of Panthers among potential future of Hall of Famers

One of the grandest weekends on the NHL calendar is almost here.

Hockey Hall of Fame Weekend will be celebrated in Toronto from Saturday through Monday, when Jennifer Botterill, Zdeno Chara, Brianna Decker, Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny, Joe Thornton, Jack Parker and Daniele Sauvageau become honored members.

Hall of Fame Weekend is a celebration of legends, the greats of the game, and it's the perfect time to discuss and even debate the merits of the players currently in the game who could one day become honored members of the Hall of Fame.

That's the project this week in the Super 16, our weekly power rankings. Those remain and the voting for it stays the same, but to play off Hall of Fame Weekend, we are looking ahead to who on each team ranked below could, should or absolutely will one day call himself a Hall of Famer.

To come up with the Super 16, the 15 voters first put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total is assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.

Here is the future Hall of Fame edition of the weekly Super 16:

1. Colorado Avalanche (8-1-5)

Total points: 234

Last week: No. 3

"It may not be an open-and-shut case yet, but I believe it will be soon -- Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar will one day be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. MacKinnon, who turned 30 on Sept. 1, has already eclipsed 1,000 points (1,035) and will likely reach 400 goals before the end of this season (he has 377). Makar turned 27 (Oct. 30) and leads all NHL defensemen since the 2019-20 season with 1.09 points per game (446 points in 409 games) and is averaging 24:49 of ice time since his arrival. Fans in Colorado are truly blessed to have the opportunity to watch such elite talents on a nightly basis." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

2. Winnipeg Jets (9-4-0)

Total points: 204

Last week: No. 6

"Connor Hellebuyck already has crafted a career that should earn him a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the 32-year-old has got a lot more hockey to play. He's won the Vezina Trophy three times so far; he's one of six goalies to win the award multiple times since NHL general managers began voting on it for the 1981-82 season. Four of them already are in the Hall (Dominik Hasek, 6; Martin Brodeur, 4; Patrick Roy, 3; Ed Belfour, 2), and two-time winner Sergei Bobrovsky likely will have a Hall spot as well. But which of Hellebuyck's Jets teammates could join him? Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor could be considerations if they stay on their current career trajectories, which should carry them past 1,000 games and 1,000 points. Of the 80 players eligible for Hall induction to hit both milestones, 64 have been enshrined." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

3. Vegas Golden Knights (7-2-3)

Total points: 194

Last week: No. 1

"Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner already have impressive resumes that have them well on their way to Hall of Fame consideration. Eichel has 627 points (247 goals, 380 assists) in 628 regular-season games and 43 points (10 goals, 33 assists) in 40 Stanley Cup Playoff games during 11 NHL seasons. The Golden Knights' trade to acquire Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres in 2021 helped put them over the top and win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2023. They're hoping signing Marner this past offseason will have a similar impact. During his 10 NHL seasons (the first nine with the Toronto Maple Leafs), Marner has 755 points (224 goals, 531 assists) in 669 regular-season games and 63 points (13 goals, 50 assists) in 70 playoff games. Mark Stone could have an outside shot at reaching the Hall of Fame. One of the best two-way forwards in the NHL, Stone has 647 points (233 goals, 414 assists) in 712 regular-season games and 85 points (41 goals, 44 assists) in 112 playoff games during his 14 NHL seasons with the Ottawa Senators and Golden Knights. And although he's not playing now because of injury, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, could also get in one day soon." --Tom Gulitti, senior writer

4. New Jersey Devils (9-4-0)

Total points: 188

Last week: No. 2

"Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes are the two Devils players on my list of one day earning consideration into the Hall of Fame. Hischier for his drive, leadership, scoring touch and defensive acumen that he continues to provide each day; a deep Stanley Cup Playoff run would certainly help his cause. Hughes is showcasing much more of a defensive side to his game this season and his overall game has improved as a result. When healthy, there's no denying the 24-year-old center is an offensive machine once he gets going, evidenced by his 367 points in 381 games." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

5. Montreal Canadiens (9-3-1)

Total points: 187

Last week: No. 5

"He's only 21 years old and can't grow a beard, but one day, defenseman Lane Hutson could get to the Hall of Fame. He won the Calder Trophy last year as the best NHL rookie with 66 points. He broke two records for Canadiens rookie defenseman with 66 points and 60 assists, erasing Chris Chelios from the record book in Montreal. That's not bad. Chelios is a member of the Hall of Fame. After 97 career games, Hutson is already at 81 points (seven goals, 74 assists). After 97 games with the Colorado Avalanche, Cale Makar was at 91 points, and Quinn Hughes was at 77 points after 97 games with the Vancouver Canucks." -- Jean-Francois Chaumont, journalist principal LNH.com

6. Utah Mammoth (9-5-0)

Total points: 155

Last week: No. 4

"The honest answer is that no one on the current Mammoth roster looks like a future Hall of Famer. Utah's top forwards, Nick Schmaltz (29) and Clayton Keller (27), would need to go on a multiple Stanley Cup championship runs to enter the discussion. Logan Cooley, however, remains the wild-card. The 21-year-old forward has 121 points (53 goals, 68 assists) in his first 171 NHL games, and is only getting started. Will he still need to pile up another 1,000 points, win a Stanley Cup, and probably an Olympic gold medal -- benchmarks that have long defined Hall of Fame resumes? Absolutely. But if he keeps climbing at his current pace over the next decade and gets lucky enough to play for a great team, who's to say he won't get there?" -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

7. Carolina Hurricanes (8-4-0)

Total points: 151

Last week: No. 7

"It's way, way, way too early mention this player and the Hall of Fame, but for this exercise, here goes. Jaccob Slavin doesn't have the offensive numbers of other elite NHL defensemen and that's because, well, he's a defensive defenseman, perhaps the best in the League right now. It was on full display during the 4 Nations Face-Off for the U.S. in February and I expect to see it again at the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026. If he continues playing like he has his first 11 seasons, he could get a Hall call someday." -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

8. Dallas Stars (7-3-3)

Total points: 129

Last week: No. 8

"Miro Heiskanen. The defenseman has been the backbone of the Stars' blue line since making his NHL debut in 2018-19. In his career, he's averaged 24:49 of ice time per regular-season games, 26:29 per game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has been to the Stanley Cup Final (2020) and has helped the Stars to the Western Conference Final three straight seasons, including last season when he wasn't 100 percent coming off a knee injury sustained in late January. Oh, and he's still 26 years old. Forward Mikko Rantanen is another candidate given his offensive prowess and a Cup championship in 2022. But Heiskanen still has to be my No. 1." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

9. Anaheim Ducks (8-3-1)

Total points: 117

Last week: No. 16

"The Ducks don't have a sure-fire Hockey Hall of Fame inductee on their roster. There are projections that suggest Swedish forward Leo Carlsson could be one, but the forward is in the infancy of his career. Right now, for the Ducks, Hall of Fame consideration would go to their coach Joel Quenneville and general manager Pat Verbeek. Quenneville has won the Stanley Cup three times in his career as a head coach and is second to Scotty Bowman in career wins. Verbeek has 522 goals and 2,905 penalty minutes in a 20-season NHL career, suggesting his effectiveness as an offensive player and as a physical player. Among eligible players, Verbeek is one of four to have 500 or more career goals and not be in the Hall. Patrick Marleau, Peter Bondra and Keith Tkachuk are the others." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

10. Detroit Red Wings (9-5-0)

Total points: 109

Last week: No. 10

"Patrick Kane is a lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame. He has won the Stanley Cup three times and an Olympic silver medal, plus the Art Ross, Calder, Conn Smythe and Hart trophies. When the NHL celebrated its Centennial in 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest Players. And he's still climbing the record books as he approaches his 37th birthday on Nov. 19. The forward needs six goals for 500 and 27 points to reach 1,375, passing Mike Modano for first in NHL history among players born in the United States. First ballot, for sure." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

11. Pittsburgh Penguins (8-4-2)

Total points: 89

Last week: No. 9

"This is the easiest assignment ever. Ever. Pick a player(s) from the Penguins roster who one day could/should go to the Hall of Fame. Really? Isn't Sidney Crosby in it already? OK, obviously not. But they may as well keep a spot open for him. The same could be said for fellow forward Evgeni Malkin, whose resume of 1,365 points in 1,227 games is definitely Hall worthy. The more intriguing prospect is the chance that the third member of the 'Terrific Trio,' Kris Letang, gets in, given that he is 22nd all-time in defenseman scoring with 778 points. And then there is Erik Karlsson, who is seven spots ahead of Letang in that category with 881 points. Watching the Penguins these days is like seeing a future Hall of Fame alumni game." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

12. Seattle Kraken (6-3-4)

Total points: 74

Last week: No. 12

"The Kraken have solid veteran leadership with forward Jordan Eberle and defenseman Adam Larsson, and Stanley Cup winners Chandler Stephenson, Jaden Schwartz, Vince Dunn, Brandon Montour and Philipp Grubauer. They also have nice young pieces like forwards Matty Beniers, Shane Wright and Ryker Evans. However, no one on the current roster is in line for the Hall of Fame right now. Seattle has a lot of really good players but no Hall of Fame-level players on the current roster." -- David Satriano, staff writer

13. Tampa Bay Lightning (6-5-2)

Total points: 49

Last week: Not ranked

"Hall of Fame? The Lightning have serious contenders for the Hall of Fame, starting with Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy, all of whom have quite a bit of hardware to their names. Kucherov has won the Art Ross Trophy three times, the Hart once, and has cleared 1,000 points before his 33rd birthday. Hedman has a Norris Trophy, a Conn Smythe, and more than 800 points as a defenseman. Vasilevskiy has a Vezina Trophy and a Conn Smythe, plus years of being considered at the top of his profession. To that list, I'd add coach Jon Cooper, a two-time Cup winner. Brayden Point has an outside shot at the Hall of Fame, too, with 644 points at 29 years old and those same two Cup wins on his resume." -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

14. Toronto Maple Leafs (8-5-1)

Total points: 48

Last week: Not ranked

"Auston Matthews has 409 goals in 643 games. Alex Ovechkin had 403 goals through his first 643 games. Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer in NHL history. Matthews is ever so slightly ahead of his pace. Ovechkin will be a Hall of Famer. That's a lock. Matthews is still 28 years old. If he keeps up his current pace, he's an obvious lock. Even if his pace slows, if Matthews reaches 600 goals and wins a championship, there's no keeping him out of the Hall of Fame. He's on that trajectory. John Tavares is a 500-goal scorer with more than 1,100 points in nearly 1,200 games. I'll make the case he's already a Hall of Famer even without a Stanley Cup championship. If Jeremy Roenick, Dino Ciccarelli and Pierre Turgeon are in the Hall of Fame, then so too should Tavares after he's done playing. William Nylander is on a Hall of Fame pace too." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

15. Edmonton Oilers (6-5-4)

Total points: 44

Last week: No. 14

"Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl still have a lot of hockey left in them, but once their careers come to an end both will likely end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame. McDavid should be a first-ballot inductee, becoming the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to reach 1,100 points with two assists in a 3-2 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Monday. McDavid did it in his 726th game and only Wayne Gretzky (464), Mario Lemieux (550), and Mike Bossy (725) have reached the milestone faster. All three are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Draisaitl is a four-time 50-goal scorer, has surpassed 100 points in six seasons and is expected to reach 1,000 career points this season. He's already the highest-scoring German-born player in NHL history and by the time he is finished playing -- currently in the first of an eight-year contract with the Oilers -- will be among the highest scoring European-born players." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

16. Florida Panthers (6-6-1)

Total points: 21

Last week: No. 13

"Buckle up, because this one is loaded. The Panthers have three Hall of Fame locks in goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, and forwards Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand. If they retired after this season, they'd be in the Class of 2029. Bobrovsky is 10th all-time in wins (435) with a career 2.58 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and 50 shutouts in 764 games. He's a two-time Vezina Trophy winner and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. Barkov is the Panthers' all-time leading scorer with 782 points (286 goals, 496 assists) in 804 games. He's a three-time Selke Trophy winner and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. Marchand has 993 points (431 goals, 562 assists) in 1,112 games between the Boston Bruins and Panthers. He won the Cup in 2011 with the Bruins and last season with the Panthers. He is 11th in the NHL in scoring since 2016-17 with 704 points (278 goals, 426 assists) in 658 games. Matthew Tkachuk is trending toward the Hall of Fame with his 636 points (240 goals, 396 assists) in 642 games, including 254 points (88 goals, 166 assists) in 211 games with the Panthers. He leads the Panthers with 69 points in the playoffs the past three years. He's also a two-time Stanley Cup winner. Sam Reinhart is an interesting one. He has been trending toward the Hall since arriving in Florida, putting up 166 goals and 331 points in 334 games, including a team-high 29 goals in 66 playoff games the past three years. And, yes, he's a two-time Cup winner. Oh, and coach Paul Maurice should be in the Hall of Fame, and general manager Bill Zito is trending there." -- Rosen

Dropped out from last week: Washington Capitals (No. 11), Chicago Blackhawks (No. 15)

Others receiving points: Capitals 14, Columbus Blue Jackets 13, Los Angeles Kings 10, Philadelphia Flyers 6, New York Rangers 2, New York Islanders 1, Blackhawks 1

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Utah Mammoth; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Seattle Kraken; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Toronto Maple Leafs; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Edmonton Oilers

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Utah Mammoth; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Florida Panthers; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. Seattle Kraken

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Montreal Canadiens; 3. Anaheim Ducks; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Utah Mammoth; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Toronto Maple Leafs; 14. Columbus Blue Jackets; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Tampa Bay Lightning

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Montreal Canadiens; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Anaheim Ducks; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Utah Mammoth; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Philadelphia Flyers

TOM GULITTI

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Anaheim Ducks; 8. Utah Mammoth; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Seattle Kraken; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Washington Capitals

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Utah Mammoth; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Dallas Stars; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Columbus Blue Jackets; 16. Chicago Blackhawks

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Utah Mammoth; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Montreal Canadiens; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Toronto Maple Leafs

TRACEY MYERS

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Montreal Canadiens; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Utah Mammoth; 5. New Jersey Devils; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Seattle Kraken; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. New York Islanders

BILL PRICE

1. Winnipeg Jets; 2. Montreal Canadiens; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Detroit Red Wings; 6. Utah Mammoth; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Seattle Kraken; 15. Columbus Blue Jackets; 16. Toronto Maple Leafs

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Utah Mammoth; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. Seattle Kraken; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins

DAN ROSEN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Utah Mammoth; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. Dallas Stars; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Toronto Maple Leafs; 14. Seattle Kraken; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Edmonton Oilers

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Winnipeg Jets; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. Pittsburgh Penguins; 6. Utah Mammoth; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Seattle Kraken; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. New York Rangers

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Utah Mammoth; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Anaheim Ducks; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Seattle Kraken; 13. Toronto Maple Leafs; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. Columbus Blue Jackets; 16. Washington Capitals

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Winnipeg Jets; 2. Montreal Canadiens; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Detroit Red Wings; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Seattle Kraken; 8. Utah Mammoth; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. Carolina Hurricanes; 16. New York Rangers

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Montreal Canadiens; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. New Jersey Devils; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Utah Mammoth; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. Anaheim Ducks; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Seattle Kraken; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Philadelphia Flyers; 16. Edmonton Oilers