By: Ryan Jainchill | Follow me on Twitter / X @Jainchill_Ryan
In the aftermath of two former Boston Bruins, Zdeno Chara and Joe Thornton, being elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame for the Class of 2025, the 2026 class has its fair share of former Bruins eligible. With a three-year gap post-playing career to become eligible, the trio of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Phil Kessel will all be first-year members of the ballot and have the opportunity to join Chara and Thornton as former Bruins to be elected on their first appearance.
The name many suspect will headline the Class of 2026 is Bergeron. Drafted 45th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, native spent his entire 19-year career with the Bruins. He is third all-time in franchise history in games played with 1,294 and third all-time in points with 1,040. Bergeron won five Selke Trophies for best defensive forward in his career, which is the most in NHL history. His illustrious career is highlighted by scoring 18 points in 23 playoff games en route to the Bruins winning the 2011 Stanley Cup.
For his final three seasons in the NHL, Bergeron was named the 26th captain in franchise history, following in the footsteps of Chara, his former teammate. In his first year as captain, during the 2020-21 season, he took home the Mark Messier Leadership Award. Back in the 2012-13 season, he won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for exemplary leadership on and off the ice. In his final season in the NHL, he captained the Bruins to 65 wins, the most in league history. With his exceptional skill and being a fantastic leader and person, Bergeron will likely find himself in the Hockey Hall of Fame in this upcoming class, and it won’t be long until number 37 is hanging from the rafters at TD Garden.
A player who went hand-in-hand with Bergeron throughout their respective careers is Krejci. A veteran of 1,032 NHL games, the Sternberk, Czechoslovakia, native spent his entire 16-year career donning the spoked b. Due to being teammates with stars such as Bergeron, Chara, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand for long stretches of his career, Krejci’s on-ice accomplishments are often overshadowed. Despite that, his 1,032 NHL games place him sixth all-time in franchise history, and he ranks fifth all-time in assists with 555.
Krejci’s case for the Hall comes in his postseason accomplishments. In 160 playoff games, he recorded 125 points, including leading the Bruins in scoring en route to the 2011 Stanley Cup. Krejci also led the team in playoff points in the 2013 run to the Cup Finals, scoring 26 points in 22 games. While he does not have the personal accolades that Bergeron, Chara, or even Thornton have, Krejci’s role in the 21st-century Bruins goes under the radar, and a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame would allow his play to be appreciated by a larger audience.
Kessel, who came up at the same time as Bergeron and Krejci, would likely not go into the Hall as a Bruin. Despite that, in his three seasons with Boston after being the fifth overall selection in the 2006 draft, he recorded 126 points in 222 games. In his final season in Boston, the 2008-09 campaign, he was third on the team in scoring, notching 60 points in 70 games. In a postseason run that saw Boston make it to game seven of the conference semi-finals, Kessel had 11 points in 11 games, which placed him third on the team.
After being dealt to Toronto after the 2008-09 season for a package that included the draft selection of Tyler Seguin, Kessel became one of the league’s top scorers. Also, while in Toronto, Kessel started his 1,064-game iron-man streak, which lasted from November 3, 2009, to his last career regular-season game on April 13, 2023, and is the longest in league history. After his time in Toronto, Kessel won two Stanley Cups as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins and capped off his career with another Stanley Cup, this time with the 2023 Vegas Golden Knights. With his three Stanley Cups and iron-man streak, the man they call “Phil the Thrill” has a chance to enter hockey immortality this upcoming season.
In the Bruins’ 101 seasons of existence in the NHL, 15 players who have played for the franchise for at least one season have entered the Hockey Hall of Fame on their first appearance on the ballot. With Chara and Thornton joining that list just days ago, at this time in 2026, Bergeron, Krejci, and Kessel have the chance to increase that number and receive entry into hockey’s most significant accomplishment.
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