3 Current New Jersey Devils Players Who Could Make Hall of Fame
Right now, New Jersey Devils fans are waiting for two popular names to make the Hockey Hall of Fame. It’s preposterous that Alexander Mogilny isn’t in the Hall of Fame. Patrik Elias always has a case to make it every year. This year’s class was a strange one, but Henrik Lundqvist is the star of that show. We hope to see Mogilny and Elias in the Hall one day.
They aren’t the only ones. This era of Devils hockey has better talent than we may have ever seen. If everything develops like we hope, we’ll see multiple Stanley Cup parades in the future. With that comes glory, popularity, and praise. That is how a Hall of Fame career is made. Sure, the on-ice results have to follow, but it’s all about the narrative.
The Devils have 11 players who are now enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Some are more surprising than others. As we look at the Devils roster right now, there are a few candidates who could one day push for Hall of Fame inclusion. One looks pretty obvious right now.
1. Jack Hughes
Of course, Jack Hughes is the most likely player to make the Hall of Fame on this current roster. There’s no veteran former superstar like P.K. Subban. Hughes is by far the best player. If he even matches what he does this season for the next five years, he would be at over 700 points at just 27 years old. He should be in the middle of his prime, theoretically double that total.
Jeremy Roenick has the most points of players eligible for the Hall of Fame but isn’t in. He has just over 1,200 points, which Hughes should destroy if he stays on this pace. This isn’t even saying he beats the pace he’s on, which is 99 points per season. This shouldn’t be his ceiling, so Hughes might go crazy.
Talking about Hughes’s ceiling is honestly nuts. Could he get into the top 20 in points in NHL history? Adam Oates is 20th with 1,420 points. That seems incredibly attainable. Patrick Kane and Evgeni Malkin are less than 200 points away, so they should pass him at some point. Connor McDavid and Austin Mathews should get there as well. Even if all four make the top 20, Hughes also has every chance to get there. If that’s the case, he’ll be a lock for the Hall of Fame.
2. Nico Hischier
This one is another easy one, but we promise it won’t be a list of “best Devils,” this one is just too easy to ignore. Nico Hischier is the captain of a team that hopes to contend for a long, long time. That always go far in Hall of Fame voting when it comes to a player of Hischier’s nature. He’s not likely going to be the best player on the team. It’s not his fault. He just plays with Jack Hughes. However, if he’s the leader of this team and continues doing what he did last season, it would be a real conversation for the Hall of Fame.
Unlike Hughes, Hischier took some time to hit his peak offensively. He finally found that next level, putting up 80 points along with his first 30-goal season. Hischier has always had the defensive part of his game down. He’s always been one of the Devils’ penalty-killing skaters. It’s one aspect of his game where he excels. This past season, he finally found his offense.
Hischier was nominated for the Selke Trophy for the first time this season. That is fundamental in his Hall of Fame case. If he’s going to be one of those players who is constantly nominated for the award and eventually win the trophy, that is going to be something voters pay attention to. Selke Trophies aren’t an automatic for the Hall of Fame (35 percent of winners are in the Hall), but that’s also because none of the recent winners are eligible. The last winner that’s actually eligible is Rod Brind’Amour. He won in 2007.
Patrice Bergeron is a Hall of Famer. Pavel Datsyuk is a Hall of Famer. Jonathan Toews and Anze Kopitar are almost definitely Hall of Famers. That will really help the numbers. If Hischier does this for the next 5-10 years, he’s a Hall of Famer.
3. Timo Meier
This is probably a projection, but Timo Meier is in a space where he has to live up to a massive contract. The players who do usually live up to those contracts are always kept in positive mind throughout their careers. For every Jeff Skinner, there’s a Patrick Kane. For every Seth Jones, there’s a Roman Josi. Kane and Josi are likely Hall of Famers. Jones and Skinner will get forgotten after the first ballot they are on (unless something drastic changes).
Meier has been really good. He hit his career high last season with 40 goals. He had 35 goals the season before. That makes three 30-goal seasons under his belt at 26 years old. He does have some catching up to do. Meier’s 330 points in 472 games is slightly short for what a Hall of Famer needs.
Keith Tkachuk has 538 goals and is not in the Hall. If Meier finishes his career mostly known as a scorer, he needs to get closer to 550. If Meier plays until he’s 39 years old, he would need to average 30 goals per season to hit that number.
Next. 50 Greatest Devils of All Time. dark
This one needs some real work. Meier has to be great his entire prime. He needs to avoid all injuries. It’s a big ask, but it can happen. Being next to Hughes or Hischier might help Meier get there.