There’s only been two former members of the Nashville Predators to ever make the Hockey Hall of Fame. Neither were originally drafted by the franchise.
Getting into the Hockey Hall of Fame is obviously an exclusive honor, and it should always remain that way. When it comes to the still young Nashville Predators franchise, it’s a very small number of current and past players that maybe have that chance.
Paul Kariya and Peter Forsberg are the only former players for the Nashville Predators to be inducted. They weren’t originally drafted by the Predators, but there’s one current player that was drafted by Nashville and has a great chance at one day getting that extraordinary honor.
The current player on the Nashville Predators that has the best chance of one day getting into the Hockey Hall of Fame is no doubt Roman Josi. So much of his career remains unwritten, and it looks like he’s going nowhere but up as he’s creeping towards his first Norris Trophy.
Pekka Rinne also immediately jumps to mind if he can get a Stanley Cup under his belt before his career comes to an end in the near future.
But Josi has the benefit of having a lot of hockey left to play, and his stock is skyrocketing after this past season. If the Predators play their cards right, they can keep building around him and keep the franchise in the top tier of the Western Conference for many more years to come.
The most exclusive company
It’s fully understood that it’s a reach saying any current player, other than Connor McDavid and a few others, will make the Hall of Fame. What I’m saying is Josi is the type of player that could continue to trend upward into very elite NHL company and eventually be in that discussion after he retires.
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Josi obviously has a lot more to personally achieve before the thought of the Hall of Fame really comes to fruition. However, it’s not a far-fetched thought to think could eventually happen.
Aside from winning a Stanley Cup, I suspect reaching the Hockey Hall of Fame is the most-desired goal a player can achieve. Only 284 players have been inducted since 1945.
It doesn’t get much more exclusive than that. But some may argue that it’s too exclusive and that in the modern day there are plenty of worthy active players playing both in the NHL and internationally.
It’s going to take a Stanley Cup for Josi to probably get into the Hockey Hall of Fame. You have to be at the top of your sport on a team level to really be inducted into such a hallowed group of players, coaches and general managers.
Josi has already risen in recent seasons to the elite level of being one of the best at his position in the NHL. Now he needs the hardware to back it up, and it could happen as soon as this season with his first Norris Trophy.
If you look past basic point totals, Josi should without question be the Norris Trophy winner for this season and check another box towards having a Hall of Fame worthy career when we look back hopefully many more years from now.
Josi still entering his peak
You already have a very strong foundation when looking at Josi’s career to this point. He has three All-Star selections, team captain of the Predators and is now predominantly considered around the league as one of the top two or three defenseman in the NHL.
Josi just hit age 30 and is entering the peak of his career. He just set career highs in goals, assists, points, points per game and power play production despite a shortened regular season.
With a current contract with the Predators inked through 2027-2028, Josi has many more accomplishments to achieve in Nashville. He will likely go down as the franchise leader in all major statistical categories when that contract is finally up, assuming he does finish his career with the Predators.
The best is yet to come from Josi, and that hopefully includes a Stanley Cup and multiple All-Star selections. He’s the type of dynamic player offensively, despite being a defender, that won’t subside anytime soon.
Finally, I’ve always respected Josi’s quiet, but intimidating demeanor. He doesn’t need to be flashy or animated. He just lets his ridiculous speed and puck skills do the talking. The way he carries himself on and off the ice is the biggest reason I think he can eventually make the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Interestingly enough, Nashville Predators GM David Poile is one of the members of the selection committee. He’s built the Predators into a perennial playoff team in methodical fashion since 1998, and has his ultimate team-leader in Josi.
Here’s to hoping around a decade or so from now I can look back on this piece and say my thoughts were pretty accurate. It will be fun to see Josi’s career in a Predators sweater continue to unfold.