Fansided

Each NHL team’s most likely future hall of famer

By Dave Stevenson

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 06: Lanny McDonald, Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame speaks with the media during a press conference at the Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum on November 6, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 06: Lanny McDonald, Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame speaks with the media during a press conference at the Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum on November 6, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf

While one could make a strong Hall of Fame case for head coach Bruce Boudreau (even though he has no Stanley Cups) thanks to his career success, Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf has a better chance of making the Hockey Hall of Fame than his coach. Getzlaf has quietly been one of the best and most consistent centers in the NHL.

Working against him will be that he has been overshadowed for a majority of his career by guys like Joe Thornton, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin (all of them most likely will be in the Hall of Fame). He has also surprisingly never won a Hart Trophy despite some dominant seasons over his past three seasons, finishing in the top 10 in each of them.

The case for him starts with his consistency. It’s rare to see a point per game player anymore. While Getzlaf hasn’t been one for his entire career, he’s a lot closer than one might think. Entering March 30, he has 220 goals, 517 assists, and 737 points in 780 games for a career average of 0.94 points per game.

Getzlaf’s case gets stronger when you look at his NHL adjusted points (which nullifies era effects so that players over different eras can be compared). He has 835 career adjusted points. That’s most than several hall of famers, including Pavel Bure. He isn’t a hall of famer yet, but if Getzlaf plays for roughly five more years and remains consistent, that ought to be enough to warrant a spot in the Hall of Fame. Getzlaf likely will have to wait, though.

Next: Arizona Coyotes

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