Teemu Selanne is the only sure thing in a crowded field of 2017 Hockey Hall of Fame candidates

The Hockey Hall of Fame will welcome four new members on Monday night. Eric Lindros, Rogie Vachon, Sergei Makarov, and Pat Quinn will finally get their due as enshrined hockey players.

But it’s not too early to take a look at the 2017 class. The happy man pictured above is the only real shoo-in candidate, but the field behind him leaves plenty of room for healthy debate and discussion. We’ve singled out a handful of likely candidates to earn hockey immortality a year from now.

The Slam Dunks

Teemu Selanne, RW

Winnipeg Jets (1992-1996), Anaheim Ducks (1996-2001, 2005-2014), San Jose Sharks (2001-2003), Colorado Avalanche (2003-2004)

First off, let’s mention how odd it is that only one other Finnish player in NHL history (Jari Kurri) is in the Hall of Fame.

Considering he’s the top Finnish scorer in league history, it’s a given at this point that Selanne will be the second at this time next year, in his first year of eligibility. By the time his 21-year career ended in Anaheim, Selanne was an NHL icon. He’s the last player to score 70 goals in a season, and that was in his rookie year. Selanne is a top-15 player in points (1,457, 15th) and goals (684, 11th) and has a Stanley Cup under his belt. He’s in.

Mark Recchi, LW

Pittsburgh Penguins (1988-1992, 2005-06, 2008-09), Philadelphia Flyers (1991-95, 1998-2004), Montreal Canadiens (1994-99), Carolina Hurricanes (2005-06), Atlanta Thrashers (2007-08), Tampa Bay Lightning (2008-09), Boston Bruins (2009-11)

Recchi enjoyed the fourth-longest career of any NHL player ever, and racked up points until the day he retired. Only 11 players in league history have more points than Recchi’s 1,533 tallies, and his 91 career game-winning goals and 568.9 goals created are among the best ever for an NHL winger.

What, you need another stat? Fine: He’s the only player with 500 goals and 1,500 points without a spot in the Hall of Fame. And this is his fourth year of eligibility. Surely they’ll correct that mistake, right?

The Other Contenders

Dave Andreychuk, F

Buffalo Sabres (1982-1993, 2000-01), Toronto Maple Leafs (1992-96), New Jersey Devils (1995-99), Boston Bruins (1999-2000), Colorado Avalanche (1999-2000), Tampa Bay Lightning (2001-06)

Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Like Rechhi, Andreychuck’s resume boasts both longevity and a ton of accumulated goals. The former captain for the Stanley Cup-winning Lightning in 2004, Andreychuck is the last retired player with 600 goals not in the Hall of Fame. Why?

Well, his longevity might hurt him. 600 goals is a gaudy number, but factor in the games played and his goals per game is a paltry .39. His career compares most favorably to the likes of John Bucyk, Norm Ullman, and Dino Ciccarelli. All three eventually made the Hall of Fame; whether Andreychuk joins them in his ninth year of eligibility remains an intriguing question.

Curtis Joseph, G

St. Louis Blues (1989-1995), Edmonton Oilers (1996-98), Toronto Maple Leafs (1998-2002, 2008-09), Detroit Red Wings (2002-04), Phoenix Coyotes (2005-07), Calgary Flames (2007-08)

The man known best as “CuJo” should get in in his fifth year of eligibility. The only reasonable knock on him is the lack of a Stanley Cup. In every other area, he stands out.

CuJo has the most wins (454) of any goalie without a championship to his name. He was the first goalie with at least 30 wins on five different teams and spent 10 seasons in the top 10 in wins, five in save percentage, and seven in shutouts. He’ll get in, and it should be this year.

Daniel Alfredsson, RW

Ottawa Senators (1995-2014)

USA TODAY Sports

The difficult thing about the 2017 class is that Selanne’s gargantuan numbers set a high bar for every other potential inductee not named Mark Recchi.

This is Alfredsson’s first year of eligibility, and once again longevity will come into play. He spent 18 years with the Senators, giving him plenty of time to rack up stats but not many chances to become a well-regarded playoff player.

But that’s beyond his control. What he did accomplish on the ice was pretty impressive: 10 70-plus point seasons, a Calder Trophy, and four seasons in the top 10 of offensive point shares. But unlike Recchi and Selanne, Alfredsson ranks outside or barely inside the top 50 all time in points (51st), goals (62nd), and assists (49th). That won’t keep him out of the Hall forever, but he’ll have to wait awhile.

The “Probably Soons”

Paul Kariya, C

Anaheim Ducks (1994-2003), Colorado Avalanche (2003-04), Nashville Predators (2005-06), St. Louis Blues (2007-08)

Photo by: Brian Bahr/Getty Images/NHLI

Nobody will benefit more from Eric Lindros’ induction this year than Kariya, whose career path is remarkably similar.

Kariya finished with 989 points, 402 goals, and 587 assists in 989 games played. A point-a-game player for nearly 1,000 games is certainly Hall of Fame worthy, right? The problem, of course, is that Kariya played only seven full seasons. Concussions ravaged his playing time as the years went on, eventually leading to his early retirement at the age of 35. But when he was healthy, he was a force. Kariya finished in the top 10 in points, goals, and goals created per game four times.

Like Lindros, Kariya’s career was a case of “what might have been.” But what was might be enough to get him into the Hall through the path paved by Lindros.

Chris Osgood, G

Detroit Red Wings (1994-2001, 2005-11), New York Islanders (2001-03), St. Louis Blues (2002-04)

Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Osgood fits the fun, easy narrative of “winner” that sports people adore so much. He’s the winner of three Stanley Cups and has the 11th-most wins in NHL history. And his 50 career shutouts are nothing to sneeze at. But only so many players can get in in one year, and if it comes down to Joseph or Osgood, you’d think the Red Wings legend would be the one forced to wait longer.

On The Bubble

Ray Whitney, Jeremy Roenick

Both have compelling cases. Both will have to wait a bit longer for enshrinement, it seems.

Roenick is the most high profile of the three. Roenick is one of the greatest American-born NHLers of all time (only Brett Hull, Mike Modano, and Phil Housley have more points; only Hull, Modano, and Keith Tkachuk have more goals). That alone might get him in one day. But his numbers peaked early and tapered off the rest of his career.

Whitney has 22 seasons and a Stanley Cup under his belt. His numbers don’t pop at first glance, but he’ll likely take the Andreychuk route of waiting for a weak year until getting the call.