Pavelski, Brind'Amour, Duggan among candidates for Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2027

TORONTO -- Who's next?

That's always the question the morning after the Hockey Hall of Fame officially inducts its latest class of legends.

Carey Price, Patrice Bergeron, Pekka Rinne, Keith Tkachuk, Cindy Curley and Brian Burke became honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. A year from now, the Hall of Fame will be inducting its Class of 2027.

Who are the top candidates to be in it?

The list of hopefuls is quite long, as you can see below. It's laden with Stanley Cup winners, postseason award winners, international champions, pioneers and superstars in the women's game, and more. 

Of note, the Hall of Fame bylaws allow the selection of four male and two female inductees per year. To be eligible, they can't have played in a professional or international hockey game in any of the three previous seasons. 

The Hall can elect up to two inductees in the Builders category, or one if someone is elected in the referee or linesperson category.

Here are the Class of 2027 candidates and their resumes:

FIRST-YEAR ELIGIBLE

Joe Pavelski

* Forward played in the NHL for the San Jose Sharks (2006-19) and Dallas Stars (2019-24), finishing career with 1,068 points (476 goals, 592 assists) in 1,332 regular-season games, and 143 points (74 goals, 69 assists) in 201 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs
* Ranks in the top-four in Sharks regular-season history in games played (963, fourth), goals (355, second), assists (406, fourth), points (761, third), power-play goals (121, second), power-play points (278, third) and game-winning goals (60, second)
* He also ranks in the top four in San Jose's history in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 134 games played (fourth), 48 goals (tied for second), 52 assists (tied for third), 100 points (fourth), 22 power-play goals (second) and 42 power-play points (tied for second)
* During his years in the NHL (2006-24), Pavelski ranks fourth in games played, fifth in goals, 15th in assists, seventh in points, fourth in power-play goals, ninth in power-play points, second in playoff games, first in playoff goals, fourth in playoff points, first in playoff power-play goals (30) and fifth in playoff power-play points (55)
* He has the record for most playoff goals scored by an American-born NHL player
* He is 22nd all-time in playoff games played and 14th in playoff goals
* Silver medalist on the United States' 2010 Olympic team, and also played for the USA in the 2014 Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey
* Led the University of Wisconsin to the 2006 national championship as the Badgers' leading scorer with 56 points in 43 games
* Was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025
* Hall of Fame comparable: Daniel Alfredsson

STILL WAITING FOR THEIR HALL CALL

Top candidates who have previously been eligible for induction (alphabetical by last name):

Rod Brind'Amour

* Forward played in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues (1989-91), Philadelphia Flyers (1991-2000) and Carolina Hurricanes (2000-10)
* Stanley Cup champion with the Hurricanes in 2006
* Two-time winner of the Selke Trophy that goes to the NHL's best defensive forward (2005-06, 2006-07)
* Had 1,184 points (452 goals, 732 assists) in 1,484 games
* Hall of Fame comparable: Marian Hossa

Julie Chu

* Forward and one of the most decorated U.S. women's players of all time
* Four-time Olympic medalist (silver in 2002, 2010 and 2014; bronze in 2006)
* Five-time gold medalist at the IIHF Women's World Championship (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013)
* Four-time silver medalist at the IIHF Women's World Championship (2001, 2004, 2007, 2012)
* Three-time All-American at Harvard University
* Finished her career at Harvard as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women's hockey with 284 points (record surpassed in 2011)
* Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner as the top player in women's college hockey in 2006-07
* Two-time winner of the Clarkson Cup (2010, 2011)
* Hall of Fame comparable: Brianna Decker

Vincent Damphousse

* Forward played for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1986-91), Edmonton Oilers (1991-92), Montreal Canadiens (1992-99) and San Jose Sharks (1999-2004)
* Stanley Cup champion with the Canadiens in 1993
* Had 1,205 points (432 goals, 773 assists) in 1,378 games played
* Tied for 44th all-time with 773 assists, the most of all eligible players not in the Hall of Fame
* Hall of Fame comparable: Pierre Turgeon

Meghan Duggan

* Captained the United States to an Olympic gold medal in 2018
* Silver-medalist and U.S. captain at the Olympics in 2010 and 2014 
* Seven-time gold medal winner at the IIHF Women's World Championship (2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017)
* Silver medalist at the 2007 World Championship
* Played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin, winning the Patty Kazamaier Award in 2010-11
* Hall of Fame comparable: Natalie Darwitz

Patrik Elias

* Forward played his entire NHL career with the New Jersey Devils from 1995-2016
* Holds the Devils all-time records for goals (408), assists (617) and points (1,025) in the regular season, and goals (45), assists (80) and points (125) in the playoffs 
* Two-time Stanley Cup champion (2000, 2003)
* Hall of Fame comparable: Marian Hossa

Theo Fleury

* Forward played for the Calgary Flames (1988-99), Colorado Avalanche (1999), New York Rangers (1999-2002), and Chicago Blackhawks (2002-03)
* Stanley Cup champion with the Flames in 1989
* Had 1,088 points (455 goals, 633 assists) in 1,084 games
* Hall of Fame comparable: Mark Recchi

Ryan Getzlaf

* Forward spent his entire 17-year career with the Anaheim Ducks (2005-22)
* Led the Ducks to the Stanley Cup championship in 2007 
* Anaheim's all-time leader in regular season games played (1,157), assists (737) and points (1,019), and playoff games played (125), goals (37), assists (83) and points (120). 
* Had the seventh most points and fifth most assists in the NHL from 2005-22
* Won Olympic gold with Canada in 2010 and 2014
* Won gold at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 and at the 2005 World Juniors
* Hall of Fame comparable: Daniel Alfredsson

Sergei Gonchar

* Defenseman played in the NHL for the Washington Capitals (1994-2004), Bruins (2004), Pittsburgh Penguins (2005-10), Ottawa Senators (2010-13), Dallas Stars (2013-14) and Montreal Canadiens (2014-15)
* Won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009
* Had 811 points (220 goals, 591 assists) in 1,301 regular-season games
* Had 90 points (22 goals, 68 assists) in 141 playoff games
* Two-time Olympic medalist with Russia (1998, Silver; 2002, Bronze)
* Hall of Fame comparable: Sergei Zubov

Curtis Joseph

* Goalie played for the St. Louis Blues (1989-95), Edmonton Oilers (1995-98), Toronto Maple Leafs (1998-2002, 2008-09), Detroit Red Wings (2002-04), Phoenix Coyotes (2005-07) and Calgary Flames (2007-08)
* Has 454 NHL wins, more than Hall of Fame goalies Terry Sawchuk (445), Jacques Plante (437), Tony Esposito (423), Glenn Hall (407), Grant Fuhr (403), Dominik Hasek (389) and Tom Barrasso (369).
* King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner for the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community in 1999-2000 
* Hall of Fame comparable: Tom Barrasso

Phil Kessel

* Forward played for the Boston Bruins (2006-09), Toronto Maple Leafs (2009-15), Pittsburgh Penguins (2015-19), Arizona Coyotes (2019-22) and Vegas Golden Knights (2022-23) in a 17-year career
* Had 992 points (413 goals, 579 assists) in 1,286 games, including an NHL-record ironman streak of 1,064 games
* Three-time Stanley Cup champion (2016 and 2017 with the Penguins, 2023 with the Golden Knights)
* Winner of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2007 for perseverance and dedication to the game
* Represented the United States in the Olympics in 2010 and 2014, helping the U.S. earn the silver medal in 2010 and was named the best forward in the tournament in 2014, when he had five goals and eight points in six games
* Hall of Fame comparable: Joe Mullen

John LeClair

* Played for the Montreal Canadiens (1991-95), Philadelphia Flyers (1994-2004) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2005-07), finishing his career with 819 points (406 goals, 413 assists) in 967 regular season games, and adding 89 points (42 goals, 47 assists) in 154 playoff games
* Scored at least 50 goals in three consecutive seasons with the Flyers from 1995-98
* Stanley Cup champion with the Canadiens in 1993, when he had 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 20 playoff games, including scoring two overtime goals in the Stanley Cup Final
* Won gold with Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey in 1996, and silver at the Olympics in 2002
* Hall of Fame comparable: Keith Tkachuk

Claude Lemieux

* Forward played for the Montreal Canadiens (1983-90), New Jersey Devils (1990-95, 1999-2000), Colorado Avalanche (1995-1999), Phoenix Coyotes (2000-03), Dallas Stars (2003) and San Jose Sharks (2008-09)
* Four-time Stanley Cup champion (1986 with the Canadiens, 1995 and 2000 with the Devils, 1996 with the Avalanche
* Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player of the playoffs in 1995
* Ninth all-time in goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (80)
* Tied for 27th all time in playoff points (158)
* Fifth all-time in playoff games played (234)
* Played all or parts of 21 NHL seasons, and had 786 points (379 goals, 407 assists) in 1,215 games
* Hall of Fame comparable: Bob Pulford

Patrick Marleau

* Forward played for the San Jose Sharks (1997-2017, 2019-20, 2020-21), Toronto Maple Leafs (2017-19) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2020)
* NHL's all-time leader in games played with 1,779
* Is 25th all-time in goals with 566; the 24 players in front of him are either in the Hall of Fame or likely will be (Alex Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos)
* Olympic gold medal with Canada in 2010 and 2014
* Gold at the 2003 World Championship and 2004 World Cup of Hockey
* Hall of Fame comparable: Joe Thornton

Ryan Miller

* Goalie played for the Buffalo Sabres (2002-14), St. Louis Blues (2014), Vancouver Canucks (2014-17) and Anaheim Ducks (2017-21)
* 16th all-time in wins (391) and 20th in games played (796)
* Career 2.64 GAA, .914 save percentage and 44 shutouts
* Vezina Trophy winner as best goalie in the NHL in 2009-10, and NHL Foundation Player Award winner in 2009-10
* Silver medalist with the United States at the 2010 Olympics
* Hall of Fame comparable: Henrik Lundqvist

Bernie Nicholls

* Forward played for the Los Angeles Kings (1981-90), New York Rangers (1990-91), Edmonton Oilers (1991-93), New Jersey Devils (1993-94), Chicago Blackhawks (1994-96) and San Jose Sharks (1996-99)
* Had 1,209 points (475 goals, 734 assists) in 1,127 games
* Most points among eligible players not yet in the Hall of Fame
* One of four players in NHL history to score 70 goals and 150 points in the same season
* Hall of Fame comparable: Luc Robitaille

Tuukka Rask

* Goalie played his entire NHL career with the Bruins (2007-22)
* Boston's all-time leader with 308 wins and 564 games played
* Had the best goals-against average (2.28) and second-best save percentage (.921) among the 66 goalies that played at least 200 games from 2009-22
* Finished career with 52 shutouts
* Won the Stanley Cup as the backup to Tim Thomas in 2011
* Led the Bruins back to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 and 2019 as the starter
* Went 57-46 with a 2.22 GAA and .925 save percentage in 104 playoff games
* Hall of Fame comparable: Tom Barrasso

Noora Raty

* Four-time Olympic goalie with Team Finland; two-time bronze medal winner (2010 and 2018)
* Five-time medal winner at the IIHF Women's World Championship (silver in 2019; bronze in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2017), and named the best goalie of the tournament five times (2007, 2008, 2011, 2017, 2019)
* Two-time NCAA national champion and two-time All-American with the University of Minnesota (2011-12, 2012-13)
* Hall of Fame comparable: Kim St-Pierre

Jason Spezza

* Forward played for the Ottawa Senators (2002-14), Dallas Stars (2014-19) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2019-22)
* Had  995 points (363 goals, 632 assists) in 1,248 games, including 687 points (251 goals, 436 assists) in 686 games with the Senators
* Ottawa's second all-time leading scorer behind Hall of Fame forward Daniel Alfredsson (1,108 points in 1,178 games)
* Won gold with Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Championship
* Never won the Stanley Cup, an individual NHL award or an Olympic gold
* Hall of Fame comparable: Daniel Alfredsson

Eric Staal

* Played for the Carolina Hurricanes (2003-16), New York Rangers (2016), Minnesota Wild (2016-20), Buffalo Sabres (2020), Montreal Canadiens (2020-21) and Florida Panthers (2022-23)
* Won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006
* Had 1,063 points, including 455 goals, in 1,356 games
* Carolina's all-time leader in goals (322), assists (453) and points (775)
* Had his No. 12 retired by the Hurricanes on Jan. 12, 2025
* Played in the NHL All-Star Game six times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2020)
* Captain for Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, which did not include players active in the NHL at the time
* Hall of Fame comparable: Daniel Sedin

Shannon Szabados

* Two-time Olympic gold winner with Canada (2010, 2014)
* Named top goaltender at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver
* Olympic silver medalist in 2018, when she was named the top goalie of the tournament
* Played college hockey on the men's team at MacEwan University in Alberta
* Trailblazer as the first female to compete in the Brick Novice Tournament in Edmonton, and the first female goalie to compete in the Western Hockey League, the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the Southern Professional Hockey League
* Hall of Fame comparable: Kim St-Pierre

Tim Thomas

* Played 426 games with the Bruins (2002-12), Florida Panthers (2013-14) and Dallas Stars (2014), going 214-145-49 with 31 shutouts, a 2.52 GAA and .920 save percentage
* Won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs with the Bruins in 2011, when he went 16-9 with a 1.98 GAA, .940 save percentage and four shutouts in 25 games
* Two-time winner of the Vezina Trophy (2008-09, 2010-11)
* Won the William Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL (2008-09)
* Among goalies who played in at least 300 games from 2006-12 he was tied for the best save percentage in the NHL (.922), sixth in GAA (2.44), eighth in wins (181), fifth in shutouts and 10th in games played (336)
* Hall of Fame comparable: Mike Vernon

Justin Williams

* Forward played for the Philadelphia Flyers (2000-04), Carolina Hurricanes (2004-09, 2017-20), Los Angeles Kings (2009-15) and Washington Capitals (2015-17)
* Three-time Stanley Cup champion with Carolina in 2006 and Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014
* Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2014
* Had 102 points (41 goals, 61 assists) in 162 playoff games, including eight game-winning goals
* His teams went 8-1 in Game 7s
* Had 797 points (320 goals, 477 assists) in 1,264 regular season games
* Hall of Fame comparable: Bernie Federko

Henrik Zetterberg

* Forward played his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings (2002-18)
* Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2008
* Fifth in Red Wings history in goals (337), assists (623) and points (960)
* Won gold with Sweden at the 2006 Torino Olympics and the 2006 World Championship
* IIHF Triple Gold Club member
* Hall of Fame comparable: Pavel Datsyuk

Here is one candidate for the Builder's category:

Fran Rider

* Organized the World Women's Hockey Tournament in 1987, which was a predecessor to the IIHF Women's World Championship beginning in 1990, which she also helped to organize
* Actively pushed for women's hockey to be included in the Olympics, which happened in 1998
* First female builder to receive the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2017
* Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2015
* Received the Order of Canada in 2015
* First recipient of Hockey Canada's Female Breakthrough Award in 1998 
* First executive director of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association, which debuted in 1975. Seven years later she became the president and CEO of the OWHA, which joined Hockey Canada, allowing Rider to join Hockey Canada's Female Council
* Hall of Fame comparable: None