The Hockey Hall of Fame is going to announce its Class of 2026 on Monday. Some worthy candidates are first-year-eligible for the Hall of Fame. But there are also veterans deserving of Hall of Fame induction. Who should go into the HHOF this year?
The Hockey Hall of Fame is set to announce its 2026 inductees on Monday, and there’s no shortage of candidates who are up for consideration.
This writer has said multiple times that the bar to get into the Hall of Fame shouldn’t be so impossibly high as to exclude accomplished stars, as there are a slew of worthy candidates that deserve to receive the honor of induction.
Some players are first-year eligible this year, and we’d include at least a few of them, along with some other veterans, as being likely to be inducted – if not this year, then in the next few years. In alphabetical order, here are our picks to be Hall-of-Famers:
1. Patrice Bergeron, C
This is the first year Patrice Bergeron is eligible, as he last played in the NHL in the 2022-23 season. And as a member of the Triple Gold Club – with gold medal performances in the Olympics and IIHF World Championship, as well as a Stanley Cup championship – Bergeron is a lock to get into the Hall of Fame.
With 1,294 regular-season games to his credit – all with the Boston Bruins – in addition to 427 goals and 613 assists for 1,040 points, Bergeron has the numbers to back up his Hall-of-Fame worthiness.
He also has individual awards to his credit, including a record six Selke Trophies as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Bergeron has done it all at the highest levels, so he deserves induction into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
2. Patrik Elias, LW
Patrik Elias hasn’t played since 2015-16, but he played 1,240 regular-season games – all with the New Jersey Devils – and he posted 408 goals and 617 assists for 1,025 points in that span. The Czech native won a pair of Cups with the Devils, and Elias was also named to the NHL’s first All-Star team in 2000-01.
Elias holds numerous Devils individual records, but his impact in the playoffs – where he had 125 points in 162 career post-season games – makes him an especially terrific candidate to get into the Hall of Fame. Elias is already a member of the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame, and he’s done more than enough to get into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
3. Phil Kessel, RW
As a three-time Cup-winner, twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and once with the Vegas Golden Knights, Phil Kessel earned the respect of the hockey world while also being an unlikely ironman who appeared in a record 1,064 consecutive games. The former right winger appeared in 1,286 career regular-season games, generating 413 goals and 579 assists for 992 points. And Kessel became the first player ever to appear in at least 1,000 consecutive games.
Kessel didn’t have much success on the international stage, but he was still nearly a point-per-game player, with 29 points in 33 games with Team USA at the senior level.
Kessel was one of a kind when it came to generating offense, and while he may not get in this year in his first year of Hockey Hall of Fame eligibility, Kessel almost certainly will get the nod for the HHOF sometime relatively soon.
4. Eric Staal, C
Another Triple Gold Club member, Eric Staal, appeared in 1,365 regular-season games and put up 455 goals and 608 assists for 1,063 points while winning a Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06. Staal also had 64 points in 104 career playoff games.
Staal doesn’t have the individual awards we see with many, if not most, Hall of Fame-calibre players. But while Staal may not get in this year in his first year of eligibility for the HHOF, we’d wager Staal eventually will be recognized for his successes with eventual induction into the Hall of Fame. He was consistently excellent in his NHL career, and Staal’s achievements make him an easy choice to get into the HHOF.
5. Henrik Zetterberg, C
Henrik Zetterberg last played in 2017-18, and the former Detroit Red Wings captain should’ve been inducted into the HHOF long ago. Zetterberg is a Triple Gold Club member, and he’s a winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2007-08. It’s hard to think of what more Zetterberg needed to do to get into the Hall of Fame.
Zetterberg is one of the most decorated Swedish players of all time, and he’s accomplished a long list of achievements that any player from any nation would be proud of. Zetterberg can’t be left out of the HHOF for much longer.
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