Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023 could include Lundqvist

Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Daniel Alfredsson, Roberto Luongo, Riikka Sallinen and Herb Carnegie now have their plaques hanging in the Esso Great Hall, forever enshrined among hockey’s all-time greats.

The Class of 2023 is next. It won’t be voted on until June when the Hall of Fame’s 18-member selection committee will meet. Candidates must receive at least 75 percent of the votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

A maximum of four male players, two female players, two builders or one builder and one referee or linesman may be inducted in a single year.

Here are many of the potential candidates for the Class of 2023 in alphabetical order, including three in their first year of eligibility in the player category:

FIRST-YEAR ELIGIBLE

Corey Crawford

Crawford, a goalie, was a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks (2013, 2015). He is third in Blackhawks history in wins (260) and regular-season games played (488), first in save percentage (.918) and second in goals-against average (2.45) among goalies who appeared in at least 100 games. He is also first in Blackhawks history in Stanley Cup Playoff wins (52), GAA (2.38), and save percentage (.918). Crawford twice won the William M. Jennings Trophy, awarded to the goalie(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it (2013 with teammate Ray Emery, 2015 shared it with Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price).

Henrik Lundqvist

Lundqvist is arguably the closest to being a lock among the first-year eligible candidates in 2023. The former New York Rangers goalie is sixth in NHL history in wins (459), ninth in games played (887), and 17th in shutouts (64). His 459 wins are also the most by a Europe-born goalie in League history and among goalies who have appeared in at least 300 games, Lundqvist is eighth in save percentage (.918) and tied for 20th in goals-against average (2.43). He helped the Rangers get to the Eastern Conference Final three times (2012, 2014 and 2015), advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. He won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie in 2011-12 and finished in the top six of voting in each of his first 10 seasons. Lundqvist had a 2.30 GAA and .921 save percentage in 130 career playoff games. The best comparable to Lundqvist is Luongo, who appeared in 157 more regular-season games and had 30 more wins and 13 more shutouts, but a higher GAA (2.52) and a similar save percentage (.919). Neither won the Stanley Cup, but both won an…