Hockey Hall of Fame 2027: Pavelski, Zetterberg and Goalies Lead NHL Candidates
Joe Pavelski headlines a deep 2027 group, while Zetterberg, Marleau, LeClair and several goalies have compelling cases.
The 2027 Hockey Hall of Fame discussion has a crowded field: first-time eligible Joe Pavelski brings late-career production and years of high-level play, while several veterans have records that merit another look. The cases vary, from individual awards and championship runs to the consistency and longevity that can be harder to capture in a highlight.
This weekend’s class includes four male players, the maximum in a single year: Patrice Bergeron in his first year of eligibility, Carey Price in his second, Pekka Rinne in his third and Keith Tkachuk after 13 years on the ballot. Their selection sets up a familiar question: which players could receive the next call in 2027?
Three new candidates, three different cases
Pavelski enters the conversation less than a year after his induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. He never won a major trophy, and his career didn’t hinge on one signature moment. His argument is built on sustained production, leadership on strong teams and unusual longevity as a scorer who excelled at tipping pucks. A seventh-round pick, he recorded his best NHL season at age 37, putting up 81 points for Dallas in 2021-22. He followed with 77 points the next season. That late-career peak gives his candidacy a distinct shape.
Nicklas Backstrom’s case rests on elite playmaking, a sound defensive game and the long partnership he had with Alex Ovechkin in Washington. Across the five seasons from 2013-14 through 2017-18, Backstrom led the NHL with 284 assists. He helped the Capitals win the Cup in 2018, and his place alongside the league’s greatest goal-scorer put him on hockey’s biggest stages. The question is whether his own body of work makes an equally strong case for induction.
Johnny Gaudreau would be a sentimental choice, but his candidacy faces a steeper climb. He was a standout at Boston College and, alongside fellow American Patrick Kane, helped demonstrate that smaller players could thrive in the NHL after the 2005 lockout. That influence is part of his story, even if it doesn’t by itself make him a leading candidate for 2027.
Veterans with established résumés
Rod Brind’Amour has been eligible since 2013, and his record now includes success as both a player and coach. He won two Selke Trophies and recorded nearly 1,200 points. In Carolina, he’s a franchise-defining figure; his profile behind the bench adds another dimension to a career already marked by defensive excellence and longevity.
Ryan Getzlaf, eligible since 2025, spent his career with the Ducks after their early years as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He won Olympic gold twice with Canada and helped Anaheim capture the Cup in 2007, his second NHL season. His playoff production stands out: among players with at least 100 playoff games this century, his 0.95 points per game ranks ninth. A second championship might have made his case feel more conclusive, but his peak, team success and postseason record still command attention.
Henrik Zetterberg is the only skater in this group with a Conn Smythe Trophy. The Detroit seventh-round pick won playoff MVP in 2008, when he anchored a powerful Red Wings trio with Nicklas Lidström and Pavel Datsyuk; both of his former teammates are already in the Hall. Zetterberg also belongs to the Triple Gold Club, having won a Stanley Cup, World Championship and Olympic gold. His two-way game and championship résumé make him one of the strongest candidates on the list.
Eric Staal’s eligibility began in 2026. In 2005-06, his second NHL season, he scored 100 points, placed fourth in MVP voting and helped Carolina win the title. Like Zetterberg, he joined the Triple Gold Club through international success with Canada. He became a very good player rather than a consistently elite one, but that early peak and his full résumé make him a serious contender.
Patrick Marleau, eligible since 2024, owns the NHL record for games played, with 1,779. Picked second overall in 1997, he built his career on reliability and longevity. Those qualities can make a candidacy less immediately striking, but Marleau’s place at the top of the games-played list is a substantial part of the Hall conversation.
Long waits and a possible goalie opening
John LeClair has been eligible since 2010. Keith Tkachuk’s selection offers a useful comparison: both were defining American power forwards in the late 1990s. LeClair starred on Philadelphia’s “Legion of Doom” line with Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg, and he played with Tkachuk on the 1996 U.S. World Cup of Hockey team. Earlier, he made his mark with Montreal by scoring two overtime winners in the 1993 Cup Final against Los Angeles. He then scored 50 goals in three straight seasons for the Flyers, from 1995-96 through 1997-98.
Sergei Gonchar’s strongest statistical case comes from the Dead Puck Era. Over five seasons from 1999-2000 through 2003-04, he scored 295 points. Only Nick Lidström, with 303, had more among defencemen in that span. Gonchar added 14 points in each of Pittsburgh’s 2008 run to the final and its 2009 Cup-winning playoff run. He often received less attention than other top defencemen, but that production gives him a persuasive case.
Tim Thomas could be the leading goalie option. He didn’t become an NHL regular until age 31, yet won two Vezina Trophies and the Conn Smythe Trophy while leading Boston to the 2011 championship. That peak is hard to overlook.
Curtis Joseph, eligible since 2012, ranks eighth all-time with 454 wins. He stole playoff series for multiple teams, though he never reached a Stanley Cup Final. He placed in the top five for Vezina voting five times but never won the award.
Ryan Miller has been eligible since 2024. The 2010 Vezina winner recorded a .916 save percentage from his rookie season in 2005-06 through 2018-19, his age-38 campaign. Only four goalies topped that mark over the span: Pekka Rinne, Henrik Lundqvist, Roberto Luongo and Carey Price, each at .918. Luongo and Lundqvist are in the Hall, while Price and Rinne are set to join them on Monday. Miller’s sustained performance gives voters another goalie résumé to weigh.
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