The Hockey Hall of Fame caused quite a stir with its induction announcement on Wednesday, grouping a collection of long-retired hopefuls with bona fide first-year lock Henrik Lundqvist to make up the class of 2023.

Pierre Turgeon, Mike Vernon, and Tom Barrasso rounded out the former NHLers to make this year's cut, and the Hall righted last year's wrong of omitting Canadian women's legend Caroline Ouellette. Both Vernon and Barrasso admitted they were stunned to receive hockey's highest honor this year.

The Hall of Fame had limited first-ballot stars to choose from this year, but 2024 offers a quality selection of debutants. Below, we dive into who has a chance of making the cut in their first try and also highlight the cases of those who've again been forced to wait another year.

Before we get into it, it's worth noting only four male players and two female players can be inducted per year. The selection committee consists of 18 members, and candidates to appear on 75% or higher of final ballots are elected. Ballots aren't made public.

Players who've been inactive from professional or international hockey for three full seasons, though still might not be technically retired, are eligible to be inducted.

Notable first-timers

Pavel Datsyuk

On paper, Datsyuk has the most surefire resume available next year. He played 14 years with the Detroit Red Wings and won the Stanley Cup twice, along with four Lady Byngs and three Selkes. He was named to the 100 Greatest NHL Players list and also has gold medals from the Olympics and the world championship, giving him "Triple Gold" status. Datsyuk featured an unmatchable blend of skill and two-way dominance throughout his entire career and produced some of the most memorable highlights in league history. He was nicknamed "The Magic Man" for a reason.

His on-ice credentials are second-to-none among 2024's first-year eligibles, but the Hall may be hesitant to enshrine a Russian international given the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Patrick Marleau

Marleau will garner a ton of attention through next year's voting process as the league's all-time leader in games played. Longevity is often important for Hall of Fame players, and the Saskatchewan native leads the pack while also ranking 23rd on the all-time goals list. Every player ahead of him in that regard has already been enshrined - save for Alex Ovechkin, who'll certainly headline his class three years after his career ends.

The Stanley Cup eluded Marleau throughout his 23-year career, even though he qualified for the postseason in 20 of those campaigns. Marleau doesn't have individual hardware but captured two gold medals with Canada at the Olympics and was a model of consistency, with 15 campaigns of 20-plus goals.

Shea Weber

Weber is under contract on the Arizona Coyotes' books until 2026, but debilitating injuries forced him to end his playing days after the Montreal Canadiens' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. Weber was one of the most physically dominant blue-liners of his generation and had underrated offensive prowess accentuated by a terrifyingly powerful slapshot.

From 2008-09 to 2015-16, Weber's age-23-to-30 seasons, he ranked third among all blue-liners in points (373) and first in goals (141) while averaging over 25 minutes per game. Over that same span, he was a four-time All-Star, three-time Norris Trophy finalist, and two-time Olympic champion. He was a tournament All-Star at the 2010 games in Vancouver and also has world junior, World Cup, and world championship gold medals on his international resume. Weber's hard-nosed style made his peak short, but he was unquestionably one of the best in the world at his position for a significant chunk of his career.

Pekka Rinne

Barrasso and Vernon getting in could open the door for a collection of modern netminders that boast far superior statistics. Rinne may not have previously been considered to be a first-ballot candidate, but he possesses more wins than Barrasso and is only 16 shy of Vernon in the same category while ranking 16th all time in save percentage among netminders to play at least 200 games. Rinne won a Vezina Trophy at 35 years old in 2018, was a finalist on three other occasions, and despite never winning a Stanley Cup, managed a respectable .914 clip in 89 postseason appearances.

Differentiating between eras has always been a difficult task for the Hall of Fame, especially for goaltenders, but the debate is set to take a whole new direction after two surprise inductions in 2023.

Ryan Miller

Miller owns a similar case to Rinne, producing a single Vezina Trophy while trailing his 2024 first-year counterpart in career save percentage but leading in victories. He posted seven consecutive 30-plus-win seasons with the Buffalo Sabres from 2005-06 to 2011-12 and hit the 40-win plateau twice over that span. Miller doesn't have much playoff success to his credit but won tournament MVP at the 2010 Olympics after carrying the United States to a silver medal. He likely won't be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but expect his case to be debated for years to come.

Ilya Kovalchuk

Kovalchuk was one of the most dynamic players the NHL had to offer in his prime, but his Hall of Fame case is bound to be hotly contested. He doesn't have a Stanley Cup, 1,000 games played, or 1,000 points but is 69th all time in goals (37th on a per-game basis) while owning two All-Star selections and a Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy. He captured nine consecutive 30-goal seasons from 2003-04 to 2009-10 and eclipsed the illustrious 50-goal mark in two campaigns.

He also won an Olympic gold, two world championships, and three Gagarin Cups in the KHL. Representing Russia for all his international accolades will likely hurt his candidacy, as will his controversial early retirement after signing a 15-year contract with the New Jersey Devils. Kovalchuk's talent was Hall of Fame worthy, but it would be surprising if the rest of his reputation was overlooked to make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Longtime leftovers

Alexander Mogilny

For what feels like the zillionth year running, Mogilny was the Hockey Hall of Fame's biggest snub. Despite retiring in 2006 as a Triple Gold Club member with a career 1.04 points per game and an inspirational trail-blazing story as the first player to defect from the Soviet Union, Mogilny was inexplicably passed over again. No transparency from the selection committee is a major issue in general, but Mogilny's case is by far the most deserving of clarification from those in charge.

Keith Tkachuk

While Vernon's and Barrasso's inductions may make it easier for fringe goalies to get the call down the road, Turgeon's selection could do the same for skaters with impressive point totals hampered by small trophy cases. Turgeon was the highest-scoring player not in the Hall of Fame before he was chosen, and Tkachuk will be the most prolific goal-scorer - active players notwithstanding - outside the Hall should Marleau get inducted. If being 34th all time in goals isn't enough to squeak in, Tkachuk has a world championship gold, Olympic silver, and two All-Star selections to pad his resume.

Rod Brind'Amour

Brind'Amour has been eligible for the Hall of Fame for more than a decade now but hasn't been deemed worthy yet. He captained the Carolina Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup in 2006, won a pair of Selkes, and snagged a gold medal with Canada at the world championship. Perhaps the Hall is waiting for Brind'Amour's coaching career to end before seriously considering his candidacy, as he's already won a Jack Adams Award and is in charge of a perennial championship contender.

Curtis Joseph

Joseph must be wondering what he has to do to earn a call from the Hall of Fame after Wednesday's news. While Vernon and Barrasso can hold championships over Cujo's head, he can claim more Hall-worthy statistics. Joseph is seventh all time in games played by a goalie and seventh in wins, and now that Lundqvist has been chosen, Cujo stands to be the only netminder inside the top 10 in victories who hasn't been enshrined, assuming Marc-Andre Fleury gets the call one day.

Joseph played in an era stacked with legendary goaltenders like Dominik Hasek, Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, and Ed Belfour but was still a Vezina finalist three times and a top-five choice twice more. His best shot to win top goalie came in 1993 when he posted 57 goals saved above average, the fifth-highest mark ever in a single season, for a mediocre St. Louis Blues squad.

Jennifer Botterill

Botterill has been eligible for the Hall since 2014 but was skipped over again this year for reasons unknown. She's a five-time world champion and three-time Olympic champion while also holding the NCAA record with 340 points in 113 games through four seasons at Harvard. With two spots for women inductees each year, it's hard to justify Botterill's omission.

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