His peak may not have been as good as that of players like Paul Kariya or Teemu Selanne, but his overall resume is as complete as any other player the franchise has ever seen.

He was such an intelligent player that he seemed to have ESP. But that is still probably a decade or so away from happening, as Ovechkin still has several more dominant years ahead of him in the NHL. 1 overall pick, Nash became the Blue Jackets' first star player and finished as the league's leading goal-scorer in just his second season in the NHL. 8 retired. A two-way forward that would have been considered a better Bob Gainey had he played in Montreal, Philadelphia, or even Buffalo. Last week frustrated me as Dustin Brown passed him for all time games played in a Kings uniform. Gomez does not get enough credit for how good he was in the early part of his career. At worst he is the third-best player in franchise history behind only Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby. He will one day join Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger among the team's all-time great defensemen who have their numbers retired for the Blues. It doesn’t have to be that way.
No one selected 201st overall ever is. He was one of their first players. Taylor soaked up the available plus stats for a Kings team that was only +13 as a team and only made the playoffs because Vancouver finished 23 points behind them in the Smythe Division. That is respect. Montreal took it six times (Gainey four times, Guy Carbonneau twice), Chicago (Dirk Graham, Troy Murray) and Philadelphia (Bobby Clarke, Dave Poulin) each nabbed it twice, while St. Louis (Rick Meagher), Buffalo (Craig Ramsay), Washington (Doug Jarvis), and Boston (Steve Kasper) each garnered one. He has been an elite goalie throughout his career and at times has carried the franchise to levels it would otherwise have no business reaching. While he would go to the corners to get those hard to find pucks, his linemates would linger near the front of the net knowing he would emerge with a deft pass. He has been the cornerstone piece of the team both on and off the ice in its first three years and helped backstop the team to the Stanley Cup Final in its first year of existence. He is a constant threat to score 20 goals as a defenseman and is one of the most best offensive blue-liners in the entire league. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Imagine life without those three. If you’re reading this, and you have some Hall of Fame sway and you didn’t push for Dave Taylor the last two decades, hang your head in shame.Oh, and, P.S., as general manager of the Los Angeles Kings, Taylor was responsible for drafting Dustin Brown, Jonathan Quick and Anze Kopitar. It is not impossible for Dave Taylor to join his Triple Crown teammate Marcel Dionne into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. MacKinnon, though, appears he is going to be with the Avalanche for the long haul and end up being one of the best players of his era. It seems like a given. Much more than a sports museum, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a vibrant, immersive and interactive celebration of hockey. Jagr helped bring two Stanley Cups to Pittsburgh and was one of the two or three best players in the league (sometimes the best) for his entire tenure with the team. But there is no denying the impact Bure made. Nash does not get anywhere near enough credit for how good of a player he was. Because defense matters in the playoffs and the Kings were never known for their D until 1,069 Points (431G, 638A), +186, 1,589 PIM, 17.8 S%869 Games Played, 750 Points (325G, 425A), +195, 475 PIM, 14.1 S%4) Uniqueness. He did lead the Rangers to one Stanley Cup Final during the 2013-14 season and helped carry the team to contention almost every year he was their starting goalie. He avoided the press as much as possible his first two years because of a stuttering issue so severe that he faked hyperventilation to get out of interviews. Edler has never really received a ton of national attention during his career, but he has been one of the best defensemen in the history of the franchise and a key piece during one of the most successful eras the Canucks have ever seen. He quickly turned into a high-scoring winger, evolved into more of physical scorer that the Kings seldom had for the last 45 years, then reincarnated himself as a heady checker, peaking in the 1984-85 season. So that leaves the current generation, and Price is the obvious no-brainer here. He scored 40 goals two different times, was a dominant two-way player and helped bring the Stanley Cup to Raleigh during the 2005-06 season. There are fewer honors greater for professional sports players than a team retiring their numbers, guaranteeing that no one else will ever wear it again. In 1980-81, Taylor finished seventh behind Gainey, Craig Ramsay, Larry Patey (St. Louis), Kasper, Bob Bourne (NYI), Robbie Ftorek (Quebec). Fleury helped the Flames win the Stanley Cup as a rookie during the 1988-89 season and then went on to be one of the most prolific scorers in franchise history. In the future you know Alex Ovechkin will have his No. A true superstar during his time with the Senators, Karlsson won two Norris Trophies, was a runner-up two additional times (probably should have won the award in each of those seasons, too) and at his peak, he was the most impactful defenseman the NHL had seen since the days of Bobby Orr.

Pietrangelo has been a rock on the Blues defense for more than a decade and was the captain of the first-ever Stanley Cup winning team in franchise history. He should have made the trip to Toronto for a Hall of Fame induction. He was their first draft pick and is still the franchise's all-time leader in every major category including games played, goals, assists and total points (all by a significant margin). Given how great he was, it is kind of a surprise his number is not already retired by the Capitals. 1 — for their fans. The Predators have yet to retire a number, but if anyone is deserving of such an honor at this point it might be Legwand, the original Predator.