Who makes the Hall of Fame in 2026? Ranking the top candidates

The Hockey Hall of Fame volition invited an awesome people of players successful 2025: Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton and Duncan Keith, each first-ballot choices; Alexander Mogilny, ending a prolonged wait; and women's hockey stars successful Jennifer Botterill of Canada and Brianna Decker of the United States.

Who volition articulation them successful the Class of 2026?

Here's a look astatine the astir apt men's and women's players to adjacent get the telephone for the Hall, ranked successful bid of their likelihood for enshrinement. We'll statesman with the erstwhile NHL players eligible for the archetypal clip adjacent season:

MEN'S CANDIDATES

1. Patrice Bergeron, halfway (first year)

An highly casual telephone for the enactment committee. Bergeron won the Selke Trophy arsenic champion antiaircraft guardant six times, an NHL record. The halfway was a finalist for the grant successful 12 consecutive seasons, the longest streak for immoderate subordinate being nominated for an NHL grant successful league history.

He was a ascendant antiaircraft unit whether measured by accepted stats oregon analytics during his 19-year vocation with the Boston Bruins but was thing but a one-dimensional star. Bergeron had 1,040 points successful 1,294 games, including 427 goals. That's the third-most points for immoderate Bruins player.

From a squad perspective, helium won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins successful 2011 and was a superior crushed they made to backmost to the Final successful 2013 -- a bid against Chicago successful which Bergeron played done a punctured lung, separated shoulder, a breached rib and a breached chemoreceptor -- and successful 2019. He's a subordinate of the Triple Gold Club: winning Olympic golden successful 2010 and 2014 and satellite title golden successful 2004. He besides won satellite inferior golden successful 2005 and the World Cup of Hockey successful 2016, each with Canada.

2. Carey Price, goalie (second year)

Price follows successful the bequest of large Montreal Canadiens goaltenders specified arsenic Hall of Famers Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy.

He played each 15 seasons with the Habs from 2007 to 2022 and is the franchise's all-time person successful wins (361) successful 712 games. He helped Montreal to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final during the NHL's COVID-impacted season. Price had 1 masterpiece play successful 2014-15, becoming lone the seventh subordinate successful NHL past to triumph the Vezina Trophy arsenic apical goaltender and the Hart Trophy arsenic MVP successful the aforesaid season.

Price won Olympic golden successful 2014, backstopping Canada successful Sochi. He besides won golden astatine the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2007 satellite inferior championships.

His candidacy is intriguing, due to the fact that it signifies the collision betwixt 2 competing Hockey Hall of Fame forces: the Hall's accepted hesitancy to induct goaltenders and its over-indexing connected Team Canada heroes. Although we should enactment they've enactment six goalies successful the Hall since 2018, truthful possibly that archetypal inclination is changing.

3. Patrick Marleau, halfway (third year)

Come on, admit it: You thought determination was a accidental that Marleau could articulation Thornton successful the aforesaid people erstwhile Jumbo's sanction was announced. The Hall of Fame is cheeky similar that.

But dissimilar his longtime teammate, Marleau's induction is thing but guaranteed. It comes backmost to a cardinal question: Does breaking the NHL grounds for vocation games played marque him a hockey fable oregon conscionable an accomplished compiler of stats?

Marleau finished his vocation with 1,779 vocation games played, breaking Gordie Howe's grounds of 1,767. He's 25th successful NHL past with 566 goals and 53rd successful vocation points with 1,197. He cracked 30 goals 7 times and had a vocation highest of 44 goals successful 2009-10. He won Olympic golden successful Vancouver and Sochi, IIHF World Championship golden successful 2003 and the World Cup successful 2004, each with Canada. But Marleau was a finalist for lone 1 NHL award: the Lady Byng, for gentlemanly play, once. And helium ne'er won a Stanley Cup.

If helium is simply a "compiler," he'll beryllium acold from the archetypal 1 inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His stats are beardown and his longevity is astir apt excessively awesome to support him retired -- support successful caput determination are plentifulness of ex-players connected that committee.

play

1:53

Elias connected 23-year career: 'Time flies'

Patrik Elias reflects connected his vocation with the New Jersey Devils and looks up to his status ceremony.

4. Keith Tkachuk, halfway (14th year)

Now that Mogilny is in, the adjacent large violative subordinate that fans and media rally astir mightiness beryllium Tkachuk.

He amassed 538 goals and 1,065 points successful 1,201 games implicit his 18-season vocation whose premier was spent successful the dormant puck era. He led the league successful goals lone erstwhile (1996-97) but was different a exemplary of consistency. He's 35th each clip successful goals. Every subordinate up of him who is Hall of Fame-eligible is enshrined.

He won World Cup golden successful 1996 and Olympic metallic successful 2002 but ne'er the Stanley Cup. He ne'er got a sniff of an NHL award, though 89 playoff games successful an 18-year vocation spent successful Winnipeg, Phoenix, St. Louis and Atlanta isn't precisely the worldly of postseason hardware.

It's a coagulated but unspectacular career, but those numbers are hard to ignore. Ask around, and you tin consciousness there's momentum gathering for him. It astir apt doesn't wounded that helium has recovered caller beingness arsenic the begetter of Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, which has afforded him camera clip during playoff games, crystal clip during Stanley Cup celebrations and airtime connected world tv series.

5. Ryan Getzlaf, halfway (second year)

The large halfway spent 17 years with the Anaheim Ducks, starring them to a Stanley Cup successful 2007. He's their all-time person successful regular-season games played (1,157), assists (737) and points (1,019), and holds the aforesaid marks successful the playoffs for Anaheim.

During the span of his career, helium was 5th among centers successful points. Three of guys he's ranked down -- Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Anze Kopitar -- are each apt to beryllium Hall of Famers. The fourth, Thornton, was conscionable announced arsenic one. Overall, helium had the seventh-most points of immoderate subordinate successful that span.

Getzlaf won Olympic golden successful 2010 and 2014, World Cup of Hockey golden successful 2016 and golden astatine satellite juniors successful 2005. He finished 2nd for the Hart to Crosby successful 2013, but that was the grade of the awards love. But fixed however helium dominated his era, Getzlaf should beryllium successful enactment for a higher accolade.

6. Henrik Zetterberg, halfway (fifth year)

When Pavel Datsyuk made the Hall successful 2024, attraction turned to his Detroit Red Wings teammate Zetterberg. But Datsyuk is 1 of the reasons Zetterberg mightiness not marque the Hall, arsenic helium vacuumed up Selke trophies that mightiness person different gone to his teammate during Zetterberg's prime.

Zetterberg finished his vocation with 960 points successful 1,082 games, including 337 goals. His top idiosyncratic accomplishment was winning the Conn Smythe successful the Red Wings' 2008 Stanley Cup win. That ringing earned him Triple Gold Club status, going with championships successful the 2006 Olympics and the 2006 IIHF World Championship with Sweden. He had 120 points successful 137 playoff games, including 27 successful 22 games erstwhile helium won the Conn Smythe.

He's 1 of the astir respected players of the past 20 years and a fable successful some Detroit and Sweden. It's not a clear-cut case, but helium does person a case.

7. Patrik Elias, center/left helping (seventh year)

Elias has been the hipster prime for the Hall of Fame ever since erstwhile hipster prime Sergei Zubov made the Hall successful 2019.

His numbers are stellar, holding the New Jersey Devils records goals (408), assists (617) and points (1,025) successful some the regular play (1,240 games) and the playoffs (162 games). He won the Cup doubly with the Devils successful 2000 and 2003, and was successful the Stanley Cup Final 2 different seasons. He was a rookie of the twelvemonth finalist successful 1998. Internationally, helium helped the Czechs to Olympic bronze successful 2006 and bronze doubly astatine IIHF worlds.

The statement from Elias backers is that this exceptionally skilled subordinate enactment up awesome violative stats successful a antiaircraft epoch for a antiaircraft team. Paul Pidutti of Adjusted Hockey, which Pidutti founded to analyse NHL players' Hall of Fame potential, computes that Elias would person 119 much points if helium played successful a "neutral era." Elias has immoderate vocal supporters. Will the Hall listen?

8. Sergei Gonchar, defenseman (eighth year)

Gonchar is 19th successful vocation points among defensemen, with 811 successful 1,301 NHL games. Everyone who is Hall of Fame-eligible up of him -- prevention for Gary Suter -- is successful the Hall. That includes Nicklas Lidstrom, with whom Gonchar has the misfortune of sharing an era.

The Detroit Red Wings Hall of Famer -- considered 1 of the champion defensemen successful hockey past -- is the lone blueliner who amassed much goals (236) and points (985) than Gonchar (220 goals, 811 points) from 1994-95 to 2014-15, which was the span of the Russian defenseman's career. He did immoderate existent violative harm during the dormant puck era.

Lidstrom won the Norris Trophy 7 times. Gonchar finished successful the apical 5 for the grant 4 times, which is much than Hall of Famer Zubov, for comparison's sake. Gonchar won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh successful 2009. He won Olympic metallic successful Nagano, bronze successful Salt Lake City and satellite title metallic successful 2010.

9. Rod Brind'Amour, halfway (13th year)

The Carolina Hurricanes coach's candidacy has been fascinating to ticker implicit the years. Brind'Amour had 1,184 points successful 1,484 games, including 452 goals. But his Hall of Fame lawsuit is built connected his estimation arsenic a antiaircraft center. It's a relation successful which helium excelled with the Hurricanes during their tally to the Stanley Cup successful 2006, which is besides the archetypal twelvemonth of his back-to-back Selke Trophy wins.

But Pidutti, for one, has believed his estimation was overstated.

"I deliberation Brind'Amour has been a spot retroactively lionized due to the fact that he's the coolest feline successful the country and an awesome coach," Pidutti told ESPN successful 2023. "He was ne'er truly a apical Selke candidate. And past he's pushing 40 and helium was conscionable this incredibly interesting, aggravated warrior. He wins those 2 Selkes. ... I don't privation to accidental retired of the blue, but if you look astatine the voting history, they benignant of were. I deliberation everyone remembers him being the champion antiaircraft guardant successful the league, and truly wasn't the lawsuit during his full career."

Still, there's a batch of enactment for "Rod The Bod" to marque the Hall.

T-10. Tim Thomas (ninth year) and Ryan Miller (third year)

There's a "peak years" statement that could beryllium made for 2 goalies of the aforesaid era.

From 2008-09 to 2011-12, Miller was 3rd successful wins (182) and 4th successful prevention percent (.919) portion playing for a Sabres squad that was 21st successful points percent (.520). The apex of his vocation was 2009-10, erstwhile helium won the Vezina Trophy, finished 4th for the Hart Trophy and became a superstar portion backstopping Team USA to Olympic metallic successful Vancouver, losing golden successful overtime to Sidney Crosby and the Canadians.

But if we're talking all-time vigor checks, that Thomas from 2007 to 2012 for the Boston Bruins: 151-78-31 successful 270 games with a .926 prevention percentage, 2.28 goals-against mean and 27 shutouts. He won the Vezina Trophy doubly and the Conn Smythe successful 2011, starring the Bruins to the Stanley Cup with a .940 prevention percentage, a 1.98 goals-against mean and 4 shutouts. He played lone 9 NHL seasons, debuting astatine 28 years old. His journeyman presumption earlier NHL stardom is portion of his legend, but helium astir apt doesn't person the longevity for the Hall.

There are different goalies specified arsenic Curtis Joseph, Chris Osgood, Tuukka Rask and Pekka Rinne that connection absorbing cases. But these 2 are the astir fascinating ones.

The field

Among the different players waiting for their Hall of Fame infinitesimal are first-year eligible Eric Staal and Phil Kessel, to prolific scorers with Stanley Cup wins; Jason Spezza, successful his 2nd twelvemonth of eligibility; older violative stars Peter Bondra, Vincent Damphousse, Theo Fleury, Steve Larmer, John LeClair, Rick Nash, Bernie Nicholls and Pat Verbeek; and defensemen Gary Suter and P.K. Subban.

WOMEN'S CANDIDATES

1. Meghan Duggan, guardant (seventh year)

Duggan won 7 IIHF World Championship golden medals and captained the U.S. women's Olympic hockey squad to golden successful the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She won the 2011 Patty Kazmaier Award arsenic the apical women's subordinate successful the NCAA portion playing for Wisconsin. Duggan was the archetypal American men's oregon women's subordinate to triumph 7 consecutive satellite title golden medals. Off the ice, she played successful integral relation successful the nationalist team's combat with USA Hockey implicit inequitable enactment and conditions successful examination to the men's team. She's presently manager of subordinate improvement for the New Jersey Devils.

The Class of 2025's Brianna Decker was a worthy Hall of Famer, but it was a small astonishing she was successful earlier Duggan.

2. Shannon Szabados, goalie (seventh year)

Former Team Canada goalie Kim St-Pierre was the archetypal women's goaltender inducted into the Hall of Fame successful 2022. Szabados has the lawsuit to beryllium the next.

She won Olympic golden twice, pitching a shutout successful 2010 and winning successful overtime successful 2014 for Canada against the United States. When Canada won metallic successful 2018, she was selected the tournament's apical goaltender.

Szabados was besides a trailblazer: In 2014, she signed to a nonrecreational declaration with the Columbus Cottonmouths of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) to decorativeness retired the 2013-14 season, becoming the archetypal pistillate to vie successful the regular play successful that insignificant league. She ended up playing 4 seasons successful the SPHL.

3. Julie Chu, guardant (seventh year)

One of the pioneers successful American women's hockey, Chu won metallic 3 times and bronze erstwhile successful the Olympics, and captured golden 5 times successful the IIHF satellite championships. She was the apical NCAA scorer of each clip during her clip astatine Harvard, and won the Patty Kazmaier Award successful 2007.

Chu besides played professionally successful the CWHL, winning playoff MVP portion helping Minnesota to the Clarkson Cup successful 2010. She's an iconic American subordinate who captured 23 medals during her storied planetary career.

4. Meghan Agosta, guardant (fifth year)

Overshadowed by different Team Canada legends specified arsenic Hayley Wickenheiser and Marie Philip-Poulin, Agosta was a important portion of the nationalist squad that won Olympic golden successful 2006, 2010 and 2014, and past metallic successful 2018.

At the clip of her authoritative status successful 2024, Agosta ranked sixth each clip successful goals (85) and points (176) and seventh successful assists (91) successful 178 vocation games portion playing for Team Canada.

5. Florence Schelling, goalie (fifth year)

The enactment committee has heavy skewed toward Canadians and Americans among women's players. If they wanted immoderate planetary flavor, look nary further than Schelling, a goaltending prima for Switzerland.

She had stellar planetary numbers, backstopping the Swiss to bronze successful Sochi, earning MVP honors for the tournament. She was besides ascendant during 4 seasons astatine Northeastern.

Final prediction for the Class of 2026

For the men, it's Bergeron, Price and Getzlaf, the 2nd clip successful 3 seasons they lone instrumentality 3 inductees; for the women, we'll accidental Duggan and Szabados to marque it 3 consecutive seasons of aggregate women's players getting into the Hall.