It’s almost time for one of the most special annual occasions on the hockey calendar, with a new group of stars set for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

On the men’s side, the class of 2025 includes former NHLers Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton, Duncan Keith and Alexander Mogilny.

All these players took different paths to becoming Hall of Famers and built unique cases along their journeys in the NHL.

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Which brings us to another tradition at this time of year: debating the merits of those who have yet to receive the call.

To join in on the Hall of Fame spirit, The Athletic asked its NHL staff to name one not-yet-inducted player from each team’s history with the best Hall of Fame case.

We waived the mandatory three-year waiting period for this exercise, so players can be active or inactive, but we did set a couple ground rules.

Players must have played a minimum of 200 regular-season games with the team in question.

Goalies must have played 100 regular-season games with the team.

Players were permitted to be chosen for multiple teams, provided the minimum-game thresholds were met for each franchise.

The Seattle Kraken, as the league’s newest expansion team, were given a lower bar of 50 NHL regular-season games.

Since the move to Utah was so recent, players who once represented the Arizona Coyotes were considered as honorary Mammoth for this exercise. Other relocated franchises were not taken into account.

When the picks were in, we recruited Hockey Hall of Fame expert Sean McIndoe to react to the choices.

Here’s who we picked — from current superstars who already look like future Hall of Fame locks to former franchise cornerstones who have been snubbed for years.

Anaheim Ducks

Ryan Getzlaf

The franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 1,019 points also has the most assists (737) and played in the most games (1,157). Getzlaf has an interesting case in that he racked up his totals in just 17 seasons — compared to others who played for longer — and did it all with one team. He has a Stanley Cup and two Olympic gold medals, along with gold in the World Juniors and World Cup. No one has more goals, assists and points in Anaheim’s playoff history. It’s an easy choice. — Eric Stephens

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McIndoe: I think he’s going to fall just short, but he’s an interesting case who’s closer than some fans might think. (And I’ll applaud Eric for not going with Corey Perry, whose case isn’t as strong as some seem to think.)

Boston Bruins

Patrice Bergeron

Bergeron is the NHL’s best defensive center ever by the measurement of his record-setting six Selke Trophy wins. He evolved into a power-play specialist toward the conclusion of his career. He did all this by playing 1,294 career games, all with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2003. Bergeron is a guaranteed first-ballot entry. — Fluto Shinzawa

McIndoe: Slam dunk.

Ryan Miller’s 391 wins are the second-most ever by an American-born goalie in NHL history. (Jen Fuller / Getty Images)

Buffalo Sabres

Ryan Miller

Miller is already a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and has a case for the Hockey Hall of Fame. His 391 wins are the second-most ever by an American-born goalie. He was twice an All-Star and won the Vezina once. He also won the Olympic MVP in 2010 with a 5-1-0 record, .946 save percentage and 1.35 goals-against average while leading Team USA to a silver medal. He’s not a lock, but he has a case. — Matthew Fairburn

McIndoe: I’ve given up on trying to figure out what the Hall will do with goalies. For years, they didn’t induct enough, then they put in Mike Vernon and Tom Barrasso, two borderline picks with similar credentials to Miller.