Is Nicklas Backstrom a hall of famer?

[slapKing]

Backstrom's resume:

- over 1000 points
- over 1100 games played
- Stanley Cup champion
- 7x top 10 assist scorer (3x top 3 assist scorer)
- 5x top 10 scorer
- over 100 playoff points

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[DitchMarner]

He may be. Worse players are in the Hall, but he's also in the same tier as Eric Staal and Jason Spezza and not all of them will be inducted. I think Tavares will be, but I'm not sure he's a better player than Backstrom.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I don't understand what the third category is supposed to be, HHOF isn't the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, you don't have "groups" inducted.

 

[Regal]

He’s in the tier of player that could go either way. I think he would likely have made it if he didn’t get injured and could keep racking up points. He might have been over 1200 at this point. He’s a weird one too where I feel like he wasn’t really hyped much while he was playing so that could hurt him, but at the same time, there’s no one other than Ovechkin from those strong Washington teams that are going to get in so he might make it in because of that

 

[Golden_Jet]

He’s a borderline.
No idea what option 3 is for.

 

[pi314]

He’s far from a first ballot guy but he will get in sooner or later.

 

[Voight]

He’s a borderline.
No idea what option 3 is for.

Hes far from borderline.

5x top 10 points, 7x top 10 assists, during his prime he was one of the top centres in the league (from 2009 to 2019, hes 5th in points, among centers hes behind only Geno & Sid)

 

[JaegerDice]

He’ll probably get in on the basis of accumulation, but I don't recall any time he was ever considered a consensus top 5 player at his position.

I kinda hope he gets in, just cause I enjoyed watching him play so much.

 

[FissionFire]

At no point watching him throughout his career did I feel like “Wow this dude is a hall of fame player / all-time great”. Since his retirement nothing has changed that impression.

 

[BraveCanadian]

I think so

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Hell no.

 

[wetcoast]

At no point watching him throughout his career did I feel like “Wow this dude is a hall of fame player / all-time great”. Since his retirement nothing has changed that impression.

That's going to be the problem for backstrom along with his early retirement and the logjam of other players but he wouldn't be a bad pick really, it's just that he doesn't scream huge omission if he doesn't make it in.

 

[BKarchitect]

I lean yes but I’m not going to argue too hard if you want to make the argument there are some very similar careers not in there.

His peak was arguably in DPE 2.0 and he was wrecked by injuries by the time he was 34. Injuries aside, I think he could’ve still be extremely productive well into his mid 30’s so there’s a lot of “stats compilation” left on the table here. I think a non-injury wrecked Backstrom is still doing numbys this season, let alone the last few left off the table.

I actually think to the contrary of a post above that watching him I did feel like I was watching one of the very best centers of that era and a guy who was very much a transcendent playmaker and excellent two-way center.

His bid falls short more on stats compilation and the weak (for me, anyways) narrative that he fed off Ovie more than it did the eye test, at least for me.

 

[Albatros]

There are several more deserving Swedish players that aren't about to get in either. Bäckström had a fine and reasonably long career as your reliable top-line centerman, but hardly anything beyond that.

 

[pi314]

At no point watching him throughout his career did I feel like “Wow this dude is a hall of fame player / all-time great”. Since his retirement nothing has changed that impression.

True but the hockey hall of fame is a lower bar than other pro sports.

He will get in eventually.

Especially with 1000 points.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

He seems to fit the criteria when you look at his resume, but I never considered him a great/legendary. The players in the HOF should be reserved for the legends of the game. I never hear anyone bring up memories of when he dominated.

Unfortunately the bar has been lowered over the past decade or so.

 

[FissionFire]

True but the hockey hall of fame is a lower bar than other pro sports.

He will get in eventually.

Especially with 1000 points.

Maybe but at his peak he was arguably only the 5th best player at his position behind Crosby, Malkin, Datsyuk, and Sedin/Zetterberg. Are all of them getting in too? I don’t think the era was so strong that the 5th or 6th best center is a hall of famer.

 

[Regal]

Maybe but at his peak he was arguably only the 5th best player at his position behind Crosby, Malkin, Datsyuk, and Sedin/Zetterberg. Are all of them getting in too? I don’t think the era was so strong that the 5th or 6th best center is a hall of famer.

Probably. The only questionable is Z

 

[FissionFire]

Probably. The only questionable is Z

Sedin is probably borderline and Zetterberg I don’t think gets in. I can’t see either of them being left out and an inferior player in Backstrom let in.