Chara, Thornton among candidates for Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025

It's official for the seven members of the Hockey Hall of Fame's Class of 2024.

Shea Weber, Jeremy Roenick, Pavel Datsyuk, Natalie Darwitz, Krissy Wendell-Pohl, Colin Campbell and David Poile were inducted during a gala ceremony in Toronto on Monday.

And now that they're in and 2024 Hall of Fame Weekend is over, thoughts naturally turn to the Class of 2025 and the one big question:

Who is next?

It could be hard for some candidates who have been hoping to get their Hall call to get it next year, because the names among the first-time eligible candidates for the Class of 2025 represent a who's who of recently retired NHL stars

Here are the top five first-year eligible candidates.

* Of note, Hall of Fame bylaws allow selection of four male inductees per year, so at minimum one of the five listed below will not be a part of the Class of 2025.

Duncan Keith

Keith won the Stanley Cup three times with the Chicago Blackhawks (2010, 2013, 2015). He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2015. He won the Norris Trophy as the League's best defenseman in 2009-10 and 2013-14. He had 646 points (106 goals, 540 assists) in 1,256 games. He also had 91 points (19 goals, 72 assists) in 151 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 23 games in 2015, when he won the Conn Smythe. Keith averaged 24:41 of ice time in the regular season and 27:07 in the playoffs. In 2017, Keith was voted among the 100 Greatest NHL Players. Internationally, Keith won gold with Canada at the Olympics in 2010 and 2014.

Carey Price

Price is the Montreal Canadiens' all-time leader in wins with 361 in 712 games across 15 seasons. That alone puts him in elite company considering the Hall of Fame goalies that came before him in Montreal, a list that includes Patrick Roy, Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden, not to mention Georges Vezina, the namesake of the trophy that goes to the best goalie in the regular season. Price won the Vezina Trophy in 2014-15, when he also won the Hart Trophy as the League's most valuable player. Price finished with 49 shutouts and posted a .917 save percentage and 2.51 goals-against average in his career. He never won the Stanley Cup, but he reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. He won Olympic gold with Canada at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He also helped win the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Joe Thornton

Thornton, known as one of the NHL's greatest playmakers, is 14th all-time in points (1,539), seventh in assists (1,109) and sixth in games played (1,714). To put that into contest, there are only 16 players in NHL history to have at least 1,500 points, only 14 with at least 1,000 assists and he is one of six players to appear in at least 1,700 games. Thornton won the Hart Trophy in 2005-06, when he also won the Art Ross Trophy as the League's leading scorer with 125 points (29 goals, 96 assists) despite being traded from the Boston Bruins to the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 30, 2005. Internationally, Thornton won gold at the Olympics in 2010, at the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 and 2016, and the World Juniors in 1997.

Ryan Getzlaf

Getzlaf played his entire 17-year career with the Anaheim Ducks, retiring after the 2021-22 season as their all-time leader in regular-season games played (1,157), assists (737) and points (1,019), and playoff games played (125), assists (83) and points (120). He led the Ducks to the Stanley Cup championship in 2007. Getzlaf had the seventh-most points and fifth-most assists in the NHL from 2005-22. He also helped Canada win Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014, the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 and the 2005 World Juniors.

Zdeno Chara

Chara was one of the steadiest top defensemen in the NHL for two decades. He made his career with the Boston Bruins as their captain from 2006-20, winning the Stanley Cup in 2011 and the Norris Trophy in 2008-09. The Bruins also reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 and 2019 with Chara as captain. He was a finalist for the Norris Trophy six times. He played 1,680 games, third-most in the 25 years he was in the NHL (1997-2022) behind Patrick Marleau (1,779) and Thornton (1,714). He is the NHL's all-time leader in games played among defensemen. Chara finished with 680 points (209 goals, 471 assists). He also played with the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals.

Who else is a first-year eligible candidate with a potential chance of getting in next year?

Tuukka Rask

Rask played his entire career with the Bruins and finished as their all-time leader in wins with 308 and games played (564). He has the best GAA (2.28) and second-best save percentage (.921) among the 66 goalies that played in at least 200 games from 2009-22. He finished with 52 shutouts. Rask won the Stanley Cup as the backup to Tim Thomas in 2011. He led Boston to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 and 2019, but they lost both times. He went 57-46 with a 2.25 GAA and .925 save percentage in 104 playoff games.

Jason Spezza

Spezza had 995 points (363 goals, 632 assists) in 1,248 games played, including 687 points (251 goals, 436 assists) in 686 games with the Senators from 2002-14. He is Ottawa's second all-time leading scorer behind Hall of Fame forward Daniel Alfredsson (1,108 points in 1,178 games). Spezza, though, never won the Stanley Cup, an individual NHL award or an Olympic gold. He won gold with Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Championship.

Who are the top candidates who have previously been eligible for Hall of Fame induction:

Jennifer Botterill

Botterill won gold with Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, 2006 Torino Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Olympics, after taking home silver at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. She also won gold at the IIHF Women's World Championship five times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007) and was named MVP of the 2001 and 2004 tournaments. The forward had 174 points (65 goals, 109 assists) in 184 games over 14 years with Canada's National Women's Team.

Rod Brind'Amour

Brind'Amour won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006. He finished his NHL career with 1,184 points (452 goals, 732 assists) in 1,484 games. He won the Selke Trophy as the League’s best defensive forward in 2006 and 2007.

Meghan Duggan

Duggan's crowning achievement on the ice came at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where she was captain of the United States’ gold-medal winning women's team. She was also captain at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Olympics when the U.S. took home the silver. Duggan won seven gold medals and earned a silver at the IIHF Women's World Championship, including as captain in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Patrik Elias

Elias holds the New Jersey Devils’ records for goals (408), assists (617) and points (1,025) in the regular season, and goals (45), assists (80) and points (125) in the playoffs. He won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2000 and 2003.

Sergei Gonchar

Fellow Russia-born defenseman Sergei Zubov's induction in 2019 could pave the way for Gonchar, who finished his NHL career with 811 points (220 goals, 591 assists) in 1,301 regular-season games, an average of 0.62 points per game. Zubov had 771 points (152 goals, 619 assists) in 1,068 games, an average of 0.72 points per game. Gonchar won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.

Curtis Joseph

Joseph has more wins (454) than Hall of Fame goalies Terry Sawchuk (445), Jacques Plante (437), Tony Esposito (423), Glenn Hall (407), Grant Fuhr (403) and Dominik Hasek (389). They each won the Stanley Cup at least once; Joseph never won it.

Patrick Marleau

Marleau is the NHL's all-time leader in games played with 1,779. He is 24th all-time in goals with 566. The 23 players in front of him are either in the Hall of Fame or will be (Alex Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby). Internationally, Marleau won the Olympic gold medal with Canada in 2010 and 2014, and at the 2003 World Championship and 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He never won the Stanley Cup or an individual NHL trophy.

Ryan Miller

Miller was 391-289-87 and one tie and a 2.64 GAA, .914 save percentage and 44 shutouts. He never reached the Stanley Cup Final, but he won the Vezina Trophy in 2009-10. He backstopped the United States to a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Alexander Mogilny

With Paul Kariya inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017, it stands to reason Mogilny should be there too. A forward, Mogilny played 990 NHL games, one more than Kariya, and scored 71 more goals (473-402) and had 43 more points (1,032-989). Mogilny won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2000, and gold at the Olympics with the Soviet Union in 1988.

Pekka Rinne

Rinne played his entire 13-year career with the Nashville Predators, retiring as their all-time leader in every major statistical category for goalies. He was 369-213-75 with 60 shutouts, a 2.43 GAA and .917 save percentage in 683 games. Among goalies with at least 500 games played, Rinne is tied for seventh in GAA and tied for fifth in save percentage. His career GAA and save percentage compares to Henrik Lundqvist's .918 and 2.43; Lundqvist was inducted last year. Rinne won the Vezina Trophy in 2017-18.

Keith Tkachuk

Tkachuk has the second-most goals of any Hall of Fame-eligible player with 538 behind Marleau's 566. He also has 527 assists for 1,065 points in 1,201 games. The forward won a gold medal with the United States at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

Justin Williams

Williams did most of his damage in the playoffs, winning the Stanley Cup three times; with the Hurricanes in 2006 and the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014. He won the Conn Smythe in 2014, when he had 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 26 playoff games. He had 102 points (41 goals, 61 assists) in 162 playoff games, including eight game-winning goals. His teams went 8-1 in Game 7s. Williams finished his career with 797 points (320 goals, 477 assists) in 1,264 regular season games.

Henrik Zetterberg

Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe in 2008, when he had 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 22 playoff games to lead the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup. He had 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in the 2009 playoffs when the Red Wings fell one win short of going back-to-back. Zetterberg is fifth in Red Wings history in goals (337), assists (623) and points (960). Zetterberg won gold with Sweden at the 2006 Torino Olympics and the 2006 World Championship, making him a member of the IIHF's Triple Gold Club (Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, World Championship gold).