Arriving to the NHL relatively late (age 28), Niklas Backstrom would emerge as one of the better Goalies in the league as a member of the Minnesota Wild. Backstrom would win the William M. Jennings Award in his rookie year (with Manny Fernandez) and lead the NHL in Goals Against Average. The Finnish Goaltender finished with a very good National Hockey League career, but without really being considered in the upper echelon his path to Toronto will be difficult.

Mike Ribeiro may not be one of the toughest players ever the grace an NHL rink, but he is a gifted playmaker who was not only an All Star in 2008 but would lead the NHL in Shot Percentage that year. He isn’t likely to make the Hockey Hall of Fame, but in an era where there isn’t as much scoring as there used to be, his 793 career Points is a more than decent number.  Notbaly, he finished in the top ten in Assists four times.

Arriving to the NHL at the age of 28, Mark Streit arrived as a brilliant swing player whose offensive sensibilities from the blueline position made him a very effective two way player. Streit would really come into his own as a member of the New York Islanders and would earn the distinction of being the first Swiss born captain of an NHL team. An All-Star in 2009, Streit would internationally captain the Swiss team for years.

Exceeding the 1,000 Point mark in the National Hockey League is a milestone that few can claim, but that is not necessarily an automatic induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Slovakian born forward, Marian Hossa has accomplished that and then some as he is a three time Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks. His Hall of Fame candidacy will be very interesting as while he is accumulating a solid resume, he was only a post season All Star once (Second Team in 2009, but is a five time All Star Game participant.