How many future Hall of Famers are playing in the 2023-24 Stanley Cup Final?
The Panthers and Oilers have two of the most star-studded lineups in the NHL. How will we look back on them years from now? How many future Hall of Famers are playing in the Final right now, in your mind? Name them, Roundtable members.
MATT LARKIN: I’m going to acknowledge the Hall’s relatively lenient induction standard and award seven future Hall of Fame slots: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Corey Perry, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Sergei Bobrovsky. McDavid, Draisaitl, Barkov and, after this year’s run, Bobrovsky feel pretty safe to me at this point. I suspect Tkachuk will have the resume by the time his career wraps, too. Perry is a borderline Hall of Very Good player for me, but he has a Stanley Cup, a Hart Trophy, two Olympic golds, 900 points and is the first player to reach the Cup Final with five different franchises. The big projection here is obviously the Bouchard pick. My logic is: if he remains tethered to the Oilers’ offense for his prime and Edmonton keeps McDavid and Draisaitl on their next contracts, Bouchard will accumulate some prolific offensive totals for a defenseman.
PAUL PIDUTTI: I like Matt’s number of seven inductees… but with a twist. Six players and a coach! I had McDavid as the #11 forward of all-time BEFORE this season. Draisaitl passed the 700-game mark, which secures his induction already at age 28. Win or lose, Bobrovsky seems to have captured the public’s imagination for good. Barkov is ahead of Patrice Bergeron’s career trajectory, and I don’t say that lightly. Tkachuk is trending nicely, with two year-end all-star nods, two 100-point years and a Hart finalist finish last year. That makes five. While Perry has inched over the statistical standard in PPS, my Hall of Fame worthiness measure, I do wonder if his unremarkable 905 career points and mysterious exit from Chicago may keep him waiting a long time. Still, a yes to Perry. I think he “worms” his way in one day, if you will. While Bouchard is highly underrated, he’s somehow only 96th in points by a defenseman at his age. I think he’ll need to go on a long and healthy run given his late start. I’ll say no on Bouchard. Lastly, a shoutout to future Hall of Famer #7, Paul Maurice, who’s becoming more beloved and refreshing by the year. At age 57, he’s three-plus seasons from Scotty Bowman’s all-time games coached record (2,141) and a Stanley Cup this month could seal a commendable hockey life.
SCOTT MAXWELL: I definitely agree with Paul on his selections. I think the only true locks are McDavid, Draisaitl, Bobrovsky, and Barkov, with Tkachuk being incredibly likely barring a Vincent Lecavalier/Dany Heatley esque drop-off. Perry makes for an interesting case because I always considered him to be a Hall of Very Good player that would probably get into the Hall in a weak class, but like Paul mentioned, this season could leave an ugly stain on an otherwise great career, especially if this is his last. I also hesitate to include Bouchard in this conversation, because as incredible as he’s been for the past 15 months, it’s only been 15 months, and I think what alters his career from being a great defenseman to a Hall of Fame defenseman is playing with Draisaitl and McDavid, so a lot rides on these three players sticking around in Edmonton for most of Bouchard’s career.
I will also throw in the dark horse candidate of Gustav Forsling. I’m not necessarily saying that he’s a lock, or that I even think his career so far is worthy of it, but his trajectory since joining the Panthers leaves a lot up in the air as to how good he can be and the kind of career he can have. He’s evolved into one of the best defensive defensemen in the game and certainly the best defenseman on the Panthers. If Florida makes a couple more Cup runs during his time, or if he even gets a Norris down the road for his play, he could definitely get some consideration for the Hall. It might not even be as a first ballot, but maybe as one of those players 10 years down the line about whom people say, “Hey, he was really underrated, we should finally get him in,” like a lot of the men’s players in the recent 2023 class.
STEVEN ELLIS: I’m going with six players and coach Maurice. McDavid, Draisaitl, Perry, Tkachuk, Barkov and Bobrovsky should all get the call to the Hall, which is a remarkable number from just one playoff matchup in what’s proving to be a lopsided battle.
I get the argument for Bouchard, who is one of my favorite players to watch in the NHL. But I don’t see him taking another level in his game to be a true Hall of Famer, and that’s fine. Bobrovsky likely needs the Cup and maybe the Conn Smythe to help cement himself, given he’s had some significantly average years at best, too. But I’m still leaning toward him getting in based off the Vezina Trophy wins alone. Perry also runs the risk of not being a lock, but you look what he’s accomplished wit the Cup, all the other appearances (losses or not, that’s still something), the MVP award and the international accolades. But, like with Bobrovsky, I still think the odds should play in his favor.
MIKE GOULD: I’m a bit more of a ‘Small Hall’ guy, so I’m going to go with just four: McDavid, Draisaitl, Barkov, and Bobrovsky. These guys are all slam-dunk candidates already. McDavid is one of the greatest offensive players in NHL history. Draisaitl is a three-time 50-goal scorer and an amazing playoff performer, even if his Stanley Cup Final showing has left something to be desired. Barkov is by far the best two-way center this side of Patrice Bergeron. Bobrovsky is arguably the best goalie of his generation and, at this point, the Conn Smythe frontrunner. I also think Panthers coach Maurice eventually gets in, but by the letter of Matt’s question, he isn’t “playing” in this series, is he? As for some of my snubs … Evan Bouchard has had an incredible playoff run but falls squarely into “Hall of Very Good” territory for me. So does Matthew Tkachuk, although his case is better — he just doesn’t have any individual awards. Corey Perry is the closest, but I think Paul is right about his underwhelming career production and acrimonious departure from Chicago impacting his overall case. It’s exceedingly rare for a Hart Trophy winner not to make the Hall, but I don’t think Perry will.
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