Who will get the call to Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023?

With this year's Hockey Hall of Fame festivities wrapped up, it's time to take a peek at who might be getting the call in 2023.

This year's class signified a potential changing of the guard in induction procedures, as no players enshrined in 2022 won a Stanley Cup. Maybe that lowers the bar going forward, or maybe this year is just an anomaly. Either way, it strengthens the cases for a long list of players who have been on the bubble for a while now.

Predicting a full class in any year is difficult, but next year's collection is especially difficult considering the lack of first-year star power. The list of recently retired players eligible for induction in 2023 is underwhelming at best, but we'll dive into that later.

It's worth noting a maximum of four male players and two female players can be inducted in a single year.

Now let's get to the list.

Lock it in

Henrik Lundqvist

The King is the only first-year eligible player we see making the Hall next year. Lundqvist retired fifth all-time in wins (Marc-Andre Fleury has since usurped him on the list) and was unquestionably one of the most dominant netminders the league has ever seen. He sits fourth in save percentage among all goalies to play at least 500 regular-season games, and he provided the Rangers 57.2 wins above replacement from 2007-08 (the season Evolving-Hockey's data dates back to) up until his final season on Broadway - nearly 20 more wins than his closest competitor over that span.

Lundqvist won gold and silver medals at the Olympics for Sweden as well as gold and bronze at the world championship. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2011-12 and was a finalist on four other occasions. He never won the Stanley Cup, but Lundqvist was notoriously clutch in the playoffs throughout his career. He registered a 1.74 goals against average in 15 elimination games from 2012-15 and won an NHL-record six consecutive Game 7s over that span.

The Hall of Fame might as well have started making Lundqvist's plaque the day he announced his retirement.

Time to make it right

Alexander Mogilny

Mogilny sits alone in this category because, quite frankly, his omission from the Hall is ridiculous. Every year he's snubbed, hockey fans aware of his credibility get more irritated, and there's only one way to fix it: Induct him.

He's entering his 14th year of eligibility, and several inferior forwards have been inducted while he awaits enshrinement. Mogilny meets the point-per-game threshold, is a Triple Gold Club member (Stanley Cup, world championship gold, and Olympic gold), and is one of the most influential figures in the sport's history as the first player to defect from the former Soviet Union to play in the NHL.

With a relatively weak class coming up, it would be the perfect opportunity to give Mogilny the spotlight he deserves. If he's passed over again, it's time the Hall, at the very least, explains why they've continuously snubbed one of the all-time greats.

Could be their year

Rod Brind'Amour

Brind'Amour has now been eligible for a decade and is subject to one of the more divisive resumes among fringe Hall of Famers. He captained the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup in 2006, won two Selke's, and has two international gold medals for Canada. He falls well below a point per game, but nearly 1,500 contests in the NHL is nothing to scoff at. Brind'Amour's also nabbed a Jack Adams as Hurricanes coach to pad his credentials, so maybe a Cup ring from behind the bench will push him over the hump.

Pierre Turgeon

Turgeon has been eligible for 13 years but hasn't wooed the induction committee enough to this point. He has more points than any eligible player not already in the Hall of Fame but never won anything other than a Lady Byng in 1992-93. Despite suiting up for six teams in a 19-year career, Turgeon was never able to capture a Stanley Cup and didn't represent Canada internationally at the senior level. His numbers are Hall-worthy, but if he hasn't gotten in yet, it's hard to believe he ever will.

Caroline Ouellette

Ouellette was a surprise omission from the 2022 class, missing out in her first year of eligibility despite an impeccable resume. The Canadian icon won four Olympic gold medals, six world championships, four Clarkson Cups, and an NCAA national title. She's also the CWHL's all-time leading scorer. We don't expect Ouellette to be waiting much longer.

Sergei Gonchar

Gonchar sits 16th all-time in points by a defenseman, and all those ahead of him - aside from Gary Suter - have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Even rearguards below Gonchar in the scoring ranks have been enshrined, including Sergei Zubov, Borje Salming, Rob Blake, Scott Niedermeyer, and Chris Pronger. Of course, Gonchar doesn't have the same individual accolades as that group of legends, but he's a Cup winner, a two-time All-Star, and a five-time medal winner for Russia across various tournaments. It shouldn't come as a surprise if he gets in.

Jennifer Botterill

Botterill is entering her ninth year of eligibility, which is quite a surprise considering her resume. She, like many in Canada's golden era of women's hockey, has a stack of Olympic and world championship gold medals, but Botterill stands above many of her peers thanks to an incredible 340 points in 113 games across four seasons at Harvard - good for first all-time in the NCAA.

Henrik Zetterberg

Zetterberg is eligible for the second year after an impressive career as one of the best two-way centers of his generation. Despite his accomplishments, his case will probably be debated for years to come. The unflappable Swede is a Triple Gold Club member with a Conn Smythe to boot, but he isn't a point-per-game player and was never a finalist for a major regular-season award besides a Calder Trophy runner-up in 2002-03. It also may be controversial in the eyes of some fans to induct Zetterberg before former Red Wings teammate Pavel Datsyuk, who's not eligible yet but boasts a more impressive career. Perhaps the solution is to induct them both.

Curtis Joseph

Cujo is approaching his 11th year of eligibility but will probably have to wait longer, with Lundqvist likely to headline the 2023 class. It's rare for the Hall to choose two goalies in one year, and the optics of inducting a lock and a perennially fringe candidate alongside each other would be strange. That said, if Lundqvist gets in without Joseph, the latter will be the only goaltender ranked top 10 in wins absent from the Hall. Joseph ranks seventh in that category, but having no Stanley Cups or Vezinas hurts his case. If you look closely, though, Cujo was a finalist for top goalie three times and was snubbed in 1993 despite leading the league in saves, save percentage, and goals saved above average. Joseph may have to wait at least another year, but one wonders how long he can be denied.

Other First-year eligibles

Jay Bouwmeester

Bouwmeester was a quality top-pairing defenseman for much of his 17-year career and has Triple Gold Club status, but his numbers are simply too low to warrant serious consideration. He had a terrific career, but the Hall of Fame is out of his reach.

Brent Seabrook

Seabrook's situation is similar to Bouwmeester's: Lots to be proud about but not worthy of hockey's highest honor. Seabrook is mainly remembered for his albatross contract, but he was a star blue-liner at his peak, playing a vital role in three Stanley Cups for Chicago as well as an Olympic gold for Canada in 2010. He may have his number retired at the United Center one day, but don't expect any considerable Hall of Fame noise.

Justin Williams

Williams' resume tops the other first-year players in this category, but he's a longshot. "Mr. Game 7" is one of the most famous playoff performers in history, evidenced by his three rings and Conn Smythe from 2014. Although he's highly accomplished and universally liked, Williams just doesn't have Hall of Fame stats.