The Hockey Hall of Fame&#8217;s Class of 2025 was <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/nhl-notebook-duncan-keith-among-hockey-hall-of-fame-class-of-2025">unveiled earlier this month</a>.
One player, Duncan Keith, spent his final NHL season with the Edmonton Oilers. The three-time Cup-winning defenceman is joined by Joe Thornton, Alexander Mogilny (finally), Zdeno Chára, Jennifer Botterill, and Brianna Decker for the player category. Jack Parker and Daniele Sauvaguau were added as builders.
That begs the question: which players are going to be in the Class of 2026? Players are eligible three seasons after they become inactive (in any professional league), so any player who hasn’t played since the 2022-23 season is eligible.
Let’s take a look at some former NHLers who could get into the Hall of Fame in 2026!

<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Thank You Patrick Marleau" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MEUpGfwk1IA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>Patrick Marleau</h2>
Joe Thornton was selected first overall in the 1997 draft. Immediately following him was <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/can-patrick-marleau-help-the-oilers">Patrick Marleau</a>, selected second. Of any player to lace up the skates, Marleau’s 1,779 games played is the most in NHL history.
Marleau’s 1,197 points are the third-most for any player not in the Hall of Fame/who isn’t eligible. The only thing holding him back is that Marleau never won the Stanley Cup, nor any personal hardware. He was consistently in the postseason, missing the playoffs just four times during his 23-year career. In total, Marleau scored 72 goals and 127 points in postseason games.
The games played are notable, and he had over 1,000 points, but it’s a tough argument to say he should be in the Hall of Fame.
<h2>Vincent Lecavalier</h2>
Vincent Lecavalier’s name doesn’t come up often when talking about potential Hall of Famers, but he was a darn good player who deserves recognition. In 1,212 career games, Lecavalier finished with 421 goals and 949 points. Moreover, he has 26 goals and 56 points in 75 postseason games.
Unlike Marleau, Lecavalier has hardware, as his Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames in seven games in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. Over the course of that postseason, Lecavalier had nine goals and 16 points, the second-best postseason he had in terms of points.
Lecavalier also finished with 100 or more points in a season once, doing so with 108 points in 82 games with the Lightning in 2006-07. He also happened to be that year’s Rocket Richard Trophy winner, scoring a league-high 52 goals.
It doesn’t seem likely Lecavalier will ever make the Hall of Fame, given he hasn’t played since 2015-16, but he isn’t talked about enough. Good Hall of Very Good player, though.
<h2>Jason Spezza</h2>
Jason Spezza is another player who’ll likely be in the Hall of Very Good. In 1,248 games, Spezza scored 363 goals and 995 points, so close to a thousand points. In the postseason, Spezza scored 28 goals and 76 points in 97 games, helping the Ottawa Senators reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2007.
On the Senators, he made up one-third of the “<a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/ottawa-senators/gameday-ottawa-senators-vs-detroit-red-wings-includes-return-of-pizza-line">Pizza Line.</a>” Some quick Ottawa lore from someone who was raised in Ottawa, Spezza, Dany Healty, and Daniel Alfredsson played on the same line in 2005-06 and 2006-07. If the Senators scored five or more goals in a game, anyone with a ticket could get a free pizza at Pizza Pizza (the east equivalent of Pizza 73). 
Over more than a third of the Senators&#8217; games in those two years saw them score five or more goals, and those three players were a big reason for it.
Anyway, Spezza never won any hardware in the NHL, and his Senators fell short in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, so like Marleau and Lecavalier, he’s probably a Hall of Very Good player. Thanks for the pizza.
<h2>Phil Kessel</h2>
One of the most likable players in NHL history is <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-tied-to-phil-kessel-and-pk-subban">Phil Kessel</a>, who was selected by the Boston Bruins fifth overall in the 2006 draft. For his 17-year career, the American winger scored 413 goals and 992 points in 1,286 games.
After getting out of Toronto, a good decision for any player, Kessel went on to win three Stanley Cups. Two of which came with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the last one game with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.
Although he only played four postseason games in 2023, Kessel holds the record for the most consecutive games played in a row at 1,064. In 2022, Kessel played the opening shift of a game in March, took a shot, and left the game to be with his pregnant wife, who was expecting.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
phil kessel took one shift, got a shot on goal, and promptly left the ice with fist bumps from teammates so he could return to arizona for the birth of his child. the coyotes set up a private charter so he could do so. 
his ironman streak lives on. <a href="https://t.co/2Xy95CxRVv">pic.twitter.com/2Xy95CxRVv</a>
&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1501362692493221893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
Hall of Fame of Awesomeness, but probably not a Hall of Famer.
<h2>Eric Staal</h2>
Eric Staal is one of three players sitting on the fence. In his 18-year career, Staal played for six teams, 12 of those seasons were played with the Carolina Hurricanes. In total, he scored 455 goals and 1,063 points in 1,365 games.
On top of reaching the 1,000 point mark, Staal won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Hurricanes. That season, he scored 45 goals and 100 points, career bests in both categories. In the postseason, Staal finished with nine goals and 28 points in 25 games.
His teammate at the time, Rod Brind’Amour, is another player deserving to be at least considered for the Hall of Fame, but unlike Brind’Amour, the 2026 season will be the first time Staal is eligible.
<h2>Henrik Zetterberg</h2>
Prime Henrik Zetterberg was so fun to watch. He spent his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings, scoring 337 goals and 960 points in 1,082 games. In the postseason, the Swede scored 57 goals and 120 points in 137 games.
Zetterberg joined the Red Wings the year after they won the Stanley Cup in 2002, but won his own Cup in 2008, as he scored 13 goals and 27 points in 22 games. He was so good, in fact, that he won the Conn Smythe that postseason.
Add a King Clancy Trophy in 2014-15, and there is a legitimate argument that Zetterberg deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
<h2>Ryan Getzlaf</h2>
Like Zetterberg, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/could-the-edmonton-oilers-make-a-deal-for-ryan-getzlaf">Ryan Getzlaf</a> is another player who has a legitimate argument for being in the Hall of Fame. He spent his entire career with the Anaheim Ducks franchise, scoring 282 goals and 1,019 points in 1,157 games. In the postseason, he scored 37 goals and 120 points in 125 games.
He never won any personal hardware, and his career-high in goals was only 31, but he was one of the best playmakers of his time, with strong defence at centre. The Regina native won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007, beating Spezza and the Ottawa Senators, and served as the Ducks’ captain for 12 seasons.
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Patrice Bergeron: A Legendary Career" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dS9aMNorMfo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>Patrice Bergeron</h2>
There are two locks to make the Hall of Fame in 2026, one of them is Patrice Bergeron. Drafted in the second round of the 2003 draft by the Boston Bruins, the right-shot centre played his entire career with the team, scoring 427 goals and 1,040 points in 1,294 games.
Although he never won any scoring titles, he’s widely regarded as one of the best two-way forwards of all time, winning six Selke Trophies in his career. Add in the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, 50 goals and 128 points in 170 postseason games, and you get a lock to make the Hall of Fame.
<h2>Carey Price</h2>
The other lock is a player who should’ve been a Hall of Fame inductee in 2025, Carey Price. Drafted fifth overall by the Montréal Canadiens in 2005, Price spent his entire career with the Original Six franchise, posting a career .917 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average in 712 games. He finished with a 361-261-79 record.
Although he never won the Stanley Cup, that has more to do with the team in front of him and Chris Kreider, as he injured Price during the 2014 postseason. The only time the Canadiens made the Stanley Cup Finals was in Price’s final season, but they fell short to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
That said, he’s won a Vezina trophy, a Ted Lindsay Award, the William M Jennings Trophy, and the Hart Memorial Trophy. Absolutely a Hall of Famer. There are a few other netminders in Price’s generation that deserve a mention, namely Tuukka Rask and Pekka Rinne.
<hr />
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

The Hockey Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 was <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/nhl-notebook-duncan-keith-among-hockey-hall-of-fame-class-of-2025">unveiled earlier this month</a>.

One player, Duncan Keith, spent his final NHL season with the Edmonton Oilers. The three-time Cup-winning defenceman is joined by Joe Thornton, Alexander Mogilny (finally), Zdeno Chára, Jennifer Botterill, and Brianna Decker for the player category. Jack Parker and Daniele Sauvaguau were added as builders.

That begs the question: which players are going to be in the Class of 2026? Players are eligible three seasons after they become inactive (in any professional league), so any player who hasn’t played since the 2022-23 season is eligible.

Let’s take a look at some former NHLers who could get into the Hall of Fame in 2026!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEUpGfwk1IA
<h2>Patrick Marleau</h2>
Joe Thornton was selected first overall in the 1997 draft. Immediately following him was <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/can-patrick-marleau-help-the-oilers">Patrick Marleau</a>, selected second. Of any player to lace up the skates, Marleau’s 1,779 games played is the most in NHL history.

Marleau’s 1,197 points are the third-most for any player not in the Hall of Fame/who isn’t eligible. The only thing holding him back is that Marleau never won the Stanley Cup, nor any personal hardware. He was consistently in the postseason, missing the playoffs just four times during his 23-year career. In total, Marleau scored 72 goals and 127 points in postseason games.

The games played are notable, and he had over 1,000 points, but it’s a tough argument to say he should be in the Hall of Fame.
<h2>Vincent Lecavalier</h2>
Vincent Lecavalier’s name doesn’t come up often when talking about potential Hall of Famers, but he was a darn good player who deserves recognition. In 1,212 career games, Lecavalier finished with 421 goals and 949 points. Moreover, he has 26 goals and 56 points in 75 postseason games.

Unlike Marleau, Lecavalier has hardware, as his Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames in seven games in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. Over the course of that postseason, Lecavalier had nine goals and 16 points, the second-best postseason he had in terms of points.

Lecavalier also finished with 100 or more points in a season once, doing so with 108 points in 82 games with the Lightning in 2006-07. He also happened to be that year’s Rocket Richard Trophy winner, scoring a league-high 52 goals.

It doesn’t seem likely Lecavalier will ever make the Hall of Fame, given he hasn’t played since 2015-16, but he isn’t talked about enough. Good Hall of Very Good player, though.
<h2>Jason Spezza</h2>
Jason Spezza is another player who’ll likely be in the Hall of Very Good. In 1,248 games, Spezza scored 363 goals and 995 points, so close to a thousand points. In the postseason, Spezza scored 28 goals and 76 points in 97 games, helping the Ottawa Senators reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2007.

On the Senators, he made up one-third of the “<a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/ottawa-senators/gameday-ottawa-senators-vs-detroit-red-wings-includes-return-of-pizza-line">Pizza Line.</a>” Some quick Ottawa lore from someone who was raised in Ottawa, Spezza, Dany Healty, and Daniel Alfredsson played on the same line in 2005-06 and 2006-07. If the Senators scored five or more goals in a game, anyone with a ticket could get a free pizza at Pizza Pizza (the east equivalent of Pizza 73). 

Over more than a third of the Senators' games in those two years saw them score five or more goals, and those three players were a big reason for it.

Anyway, Spezza never won any hardware in the NHL, and his Senators fell short in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, so like Marleau and Lecavalier, he’s probably a Hall of Very Good player. Thanks for the pizza.
<h2>Phil Kessel</h2>
One of the most likable players in NHL history is <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-tied-to-phil-kessel-and-pk-subban">Phil Kessel</a>, who was selected by the Boston Bruins fifth overall in the 2006 draft. For his 17-year career, the American winger scored 413 goals and 992 points in 1,286 games.

After getting out of Toronto, a good decision for any player, Kessel went on to win three Stanley Cups. Two of which came with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the last one game with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.

Although he only played four postseason games in 2023, Kessel holds the record for the most consecutive games played in a row at 1,064. In 2022, Kessel played the opening shift of a game in March, took a shot, and left the game to be with his pregnant wife, who was expecting.

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1501362692493221893

&nbsp;

Hall of Fame of Awesomeness, but probably not a Hall of Famer.
<h2>Eric Staal</h2>
Eric Staal is one of three players sitting on the fence. In his 18-year career, Staal played for six teams, 12 of those seasons were played with the Carolina Hurricanes. In total, he scored 455 goals and 1,063 points in 1,365 games.

On top of reaching the 1,000 point mark, Staal won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Hurricanes. That season, he scored 45 goals and 100 points, career bests in both categories. In the postseason, Staal finished with nine goals and 28 points in 25 games.

His teammate at the time, Rod Brind’Amour, is another player deserving to be at least considered for the Hall of Fame, but unlike Brind’Amour, the 2026 season will be the first time Staal is eligible.
<h2>Henrik Zetterberg</h2>
Prime Henrik Zetterberg was so fun to watch. He spent his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings, scoring 337 goals and 960 points in 1,082 games. In the postseason, the Swede scored 57 goals and 120 points in 137 games.

Zetterberg joined the Red Wings the year after they won the Stanley Cup in 2002, but won his own Cup in 2008, as he scored 13 goals and 27 points in 22 games. He was so good, in fact, that he won the Conn Smythe that postseason.

Add a King Clancy Trophy in 2014-15, and there is a legitimate argument that Zetterberg deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
<h2>Ryan Getzlaf</h2>
Like Zetterberg, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/could-the-edmonton-oilers-make-a-deal-for-ryan-getzlaf">Ryan Getzlaf</a> is another player who has a legitimate argument for being in the Hall of Fame. He spent his entire career with the Anaheim Ducks franchise, scoring 282 goals and 1,019 points in 1,157 games. In the postseason, he scored 37 goals and 120 points in 125 games.

He never won any personal hardware, and his career-high in goals was only 31, but he was one of the best playmakers of his time, with strong defence at centre. The Regina native won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007, beating Spezza and the Ottawa Senators, and served as the Ducks’ captain for 12 seasons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS9aMNorMfo
<h2>Patrice Bergeron</h2>
There are two locks to make the Hall of Fame in 2026, one of them is Patrice Bergeron. Drafted in the second round of the 2003 draft by the Boston Bruins, the right-shot centre played his entire career with the team, scoring 427 goals and 1,040 points in 1,294 games.

Although he never won any scoring titles, he’s widely regarded as one of the best two-way forwards of all time, winning six Selke Trophies in his career. Add in the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, 50 goals and 128 points in 170 postseason games, and you get a lock to make the Hall of Fame.
<h2>Carey Price</h2>
The other lock is a player who should’ve been a Hall of Fame inductee in 2025, Carey Price. Drafted fifth overall by the Montréal Canadiens in 2005, Price spent his entire career with the Original Six franchise, posting a career .917 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average in 712 games. He finished with a 361-261-79 record.

Although he never won the Stanley Cup, that has more to do with the team in front of him and Chris Kreider, as he injured Price during the 2014 postseason. The only time the Canadiens made the Stanley Cup Finals was in Price’s final season, but they fell short to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

That said, he’s won a Vezina trophy, a Ted Lindsay Award, the William M Jennings Trophy, and the Hart Memorial Trophy. Absolutely a Hall of Famer. There are a few other netminders in Price’s generation that deserve a mention, namely Tuukka Rask and Pekka Rinne.

<hr />

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Candidates for the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026

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