theathleticuk
As the hockey world looks ahead to the 2027 Hockey Hall of Fame induction, the first-year eligible players fail to present an obvious headline inductee. Joe Pavelski stands out as the most notable name among those newly eligible, and while many believe he will eventually be enshrined, a first-ballot induction seems doubtful.
Other first-year eligibles include Ilya Kovalchuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Jeff Carter, Zach Parise, and Mark Giordano. Rather than rushing these newcomers in, the Hall's selection committee may opt to use the 2027 cycle to honor players who have long been overlooked. Curtis Joseph, Rod Brind'Amour, and Henrik Zetterberg are among those who could finally receive serious consideration, and at least one of them is expected to be inducted. Sergei Gonchar, too, has been persistently ignored despite a Hall-worthy career.
As for Alex Ovechkin, who has announced that this will be his final NHL season, some have wondered whether the Hall might waive its standard three-year waiting period for the all-time goals leader, as it did for Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, and Wayne Gretzky. However, the Hockey Hall of Fame indicated that such a move is highly unlikely.
The bylaw provision that allowed the Hall's Board of Directors to waive the waiting period was removed after Gretzky's election in 1999. The rationale at the time was that inductees benefit from a period away from the spotlight to reflect on their careers, and the Hall also sought to avoid creating a perception of two-tier membership. Additionally, Lemieux, inducted in 1997, returned from retirement during the 2000-01 season, and keeping the three-year wait in place helps prevent similar scenarios.
What-If Trades: Price and Rinne
Around Hall of Fame induction time, it's natural to revisit what-ifs. When Patrick Roy was inducted in November 2006, he recalled a surprising quote about his 1995 trade from Montreal. Roy said it was clear to him that the Canadiens were trading him to Detroit, Toronto, Chicago, or Colorado. Former Detroit Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman confirmed that then-Montreal general manager Réjean Houle called him. Bowman, who was handling trades for Detroit at the time, had acquired goalie Mike Vernon a year or two earlier from Calgary and didn't think he could make a deal. He figured he might drive up the price but ultimately didn't complete a trade. Roy was moved quickly, and Bowman hoped he wouldn't end up in Colorado. Roy went on to lead the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup just six months after the trade, a move that dramatically intensified the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry.
With enough time having passed, similar questions arise for Carey Price and Pekka Rinne, who were inducted on Monday. Were they ever nearly traded? Former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said no team ever asked about Price. "They knew what the answer would be," he said. Similarly, former Predators GM David Poile said he never received a call about Rinne. "The desire certainly was never there for us," Poile said. "Once he became a regular, he played so good so consistently." Both goalies spent their entire careers with one team, a rarity in the modern game, and while their GMs were never going to trade them, it's still surprising that no team even inquired.
Stars' Injury Woes and Robertson's Future
The Dallas Stars have been plagued by injuries all season but have managed a 10-5-2 record. "Considering the circumstances — like, we haven't had our full team yet since the start of training camp — we're hanging in there," Stars GM Jim Nill said Monday after arriving in Toronto for Tuesday's GMs meeting. "Good games, bad games, but we've got a pretty resilient group, and we're finding ways to win." Nill is known for being aggressive on the trade market, but for now, he wants his team to get healthier and stabilize before deciding on a course of action ahead of the March 1 trade deadline.
"Yeah, you're always looking," Nill said. "You always have to see what the market is. But really I want to see where our team is at. Like I said, we haven't had our full team together yet. We haven't had our defense together yet. And we've had Matt Duchene out since training camp. Now, you're always open (to trade talk), but we're restricted a little bit with our cap situation. But you're always listening."
Nill hopes to begin contract talks with pending unrestricted free agent Jason Robertson sometime next month. The Stars can extend him as early as Jan. 1. "We'll start sometime in December," Nill said. "We'll touch base, see where we're at and hopefully get something done. That's the plan right now." However, Robertson, who has nine goals and 19 points in 17 games, may prefer to wait until after the season to gauge the market. If he doesn't extend, Dallas risks losing him to free agency on July 1 for nothing. But the money they would have spent on Robertson could be redirected toward another high-end player, and Dallas is routinely on players' shortlists. If the Stars can't re-sign Robertson, they will be major players for other top targets.
Originally reported by theathleticuk.