Evgeni Nabokov took his time to enter North America after being a late-round draft pick by the San Jose Sharks in 1994.  Six years later, the Goalie would make his debut with the San Jose Sharks and is, without doubt, the best backstop in franchise history.

One of the better two-way defensemen in Hockey, Ed Jovanovski was not the player who would put up monster point totals, but he would contribute and consistently shut down attackers. He is also one of those great teammates who did all the little things well, automatically making your team better. In all likelihood, when his career is over, Ed Jovanovski will likely not be considered for induction in Toronto. Still, he has a body of work that should bring him closer to consideration than his stats alone suggest.

A good offensive defenseman, Dan Boyle, came into his own late in his career. Boyle became a two-time All-Star (and a second-team postseason All-Star selection) after he helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win a Stanley Cup in 2004. Had Boyle come into his own in his early twenties, he may have had the statistical accumulation to be a serious threat for the Hall of Fame, although anyone with more than 100 Point Shares (he has 107.1) should have his name in the discussion.

Chris Pronger is a former Hart Trophy and Norris Trophy winner and would twice lead the National Hockey League in Plus/Minus while he was a member of the St. Louis Blues. Pronger would become a four time post-season All Star, a Stanley Cup Champion with the Anaheim Ducks and was a Olympic Gold Medalist with Canada.