Two of my favorite writers at The Athletic, Peter Baugh and Max Bultman, recently teamed up for a long-form look at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The two broke down the league’s current stars and veterans into tiers based on their chances of eventually getting the call to Toronto. From players who could retire today and get in, to those who still have plenty of work to do, but are at least worthy of consideration. 

It’s a fantastic offseason read and the kind of piece that gives you something to chew on when there isn’t much happening around the NHL. If you’re looking for a reason to subscribe to The Athletic, this is the type of content that makes it worthwhile.

You can find the full story linked here.

Unsurprisingly, the Colorado Avalanche were well represented.

Three current Avs skaters made the cut, while two former players were also included. All five landed in different tiers.

Starting at the very top, in the they could retire today and make it tier, is none other than superstar center Nathan MacKinnon.

There isn’t much to debate here.

MacKinnon is only 30 years old, but his trophy case already looks like that of a player who spent more than two decades in the NHL.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft won the Calder Trophy as a rookie before eventually adding a Hart Trophy, Lady Byng Trophy, Rocket Richard Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award to his collection. And, of course, there’s the Stanley Cup he helped bring to Colorado in 2022.

MacKinnon has also finished as a Hart finalist multiple times and has established himself as one of the defining players of his generation.

At this point, the only real question is where he eventually lands among the all-time greats.

His Hall of Fame case isn’t waiting on anything. Although I’m sure he’d like to add a second championship, perhaps even a third, to his collection of accolades. 

One tier down, Baugh and Bultman placed Cale Makar in the probably in — and still rising group.

He was one of just three players included in that tier.

Makar could eventually go down as one of the two or three best defensemen to ever play the game. That’s an absurd statement considering he’s only 27 years old, but his resume already makes it difficult to argue otherwise.

The No. 4 overall pick in 2017 won the Calder Trophy in 2020, followed it up with Norris Trophy wins in 2022 and 2025, and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy during Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup run.

He’s also already a six-time Norris finalist, placing in the top three in each of the last six seasons since his rookie year. Makar has finished second in voting twice, and third two more times.

Makar still has a significant portion of his career ahead of him. If he continues on his current trajectory, this tier could look pretty conservative by the time his career is over.

The next group, keep compiling, included several veteran players who have already built impressive careers but aren’t quite at the same level of certainty.

Among them was Brent Burns, the only player in this group who wasn’t originally drafted by the Avalanche.

Burns is entering his 23rd season at age 41 and could break the NHL’s Iron Man record this season if everything goes according to plan.

The defenseman has played 1,579 regular-season games and won the Norris Trophy in 2017 with the San Jose Sharks.

At this point, longevity is a huge part of Burns’ case. And considering he’s still playing, he has another opportunity to add to it.

Perhaps winning a Stanley Cup in 2027 could help get him over the hump. 

Two former Avalanche players also made the list, with both being players Colorado originally drafted.

Ryan O’Reilly landed in the outside shots tier.

The Nashville Predators center has the kind of postseason accolades that stands out. He won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, while also taking home the Selke Trophy that same season. He had already won the Lady Byng in 2014 with Colorado. 

That’s a pretty impressive collection of hardware.

But the Hall of Fame conversation isn’t simply about winning a Cup or putting together one great postseason. O’Reilly’s overall numbers and individual accolades will ultimately determine whether he’s good enough to get there. 

For now, Baugh and Bultman consider him an outside shot.

Then there’s Mikko Rantanen, who landed in the on track tier.

Rantanen was drafted 10th overall by Colorado in 2015 and spent nearly 10 seasons of his career with the Avalanche before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes and eventually landing with the Dallas Stars.

He’s been one of the NHL’s premier wingers for more than half a decade and has the production to back it up.

Rantanen has 316 goals and 782 points in 716 career games. He also holds the Avalanche’s franchise record for goals in a single season after scoring 55 in 2022-23.

He doesn’t have any individual trophies or awards, but he’s also only 29 years old.

If he continues producing at his current rate for another several seasons, that could change the conversation pretty quickly.

And considering the other names on this list, it’s pretty remarkable that Colorado has had a hand in drafting four of the five players included.

MacKinnon and Makar are already well on their way. Rantanen has a strong foundation. O’Reilly has a more difficult case to make. And Burns is trying to add to a resume that was built long before his time in Colorado.

Not a bad group to have represented in a Hall of Fame conversation.