NHL Power Rankings: A new No. 1, plus each team’s most interesting game in December
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Tim Kavanagh, ESPN.com
We’ve made it past the NHL’s quarter mark, and as we turn our calendars over to the final month of the 2023 calendar year, there are a great many fantastic matchups to watch before the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. Whether it’s playoff-bound juggernauts facing off for the first time this season or fans getting to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar jersey, there is something special in store for all 32 clubs.
For this week’s edition of the Power Rankings — which feature a new team at No. 1! — we’ve identified the most interesting game (or games) on the December slate for each team.
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors each send in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list here.
Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Nov. 24. Points percentages are through the games of Nov. 30.
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 78.57%
Next seven days: @ NSH (Dec. 2), vs. SJ (Dec. 3), @ OTT (Dec. 5)
Game of the month: Dec. 22 vs. Edmonton. Sure, there’s another matchup against the Bruins this month, but stars shine brighter on Broadway, so we’re anxious to see what Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl & Co. have in store for their matchup at Madison Square Garden this season.
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 75.00%
Next seven days: @ TOR (Dec. 2), vs. CBJ (Dec. 3), vs. BUF (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 16 vs. New York Rangers. Round 1 between these two Eastern powers went to the Blueshirts, 7-4, last weekend. Who takes Round 2, with the setting changed to TD Garden?
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 70.83%
Next seven days: vs. WSH (Dec. 2), vs. STL (Dec. 4), @ STL (Dec. 6)
Game of the month: Dec. 23 at Florida. As the reigning champs, the Knights have been getting every opponent’s best effort in every game. But there’s something different about a matchup against the team you defeated in the Cup Final. Expect some fire in this one.
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 72.50%
Next seven days: vs. COL (Dec. 3), @ CBJ (Dec. 5), @ MTL (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 30 vs. Edmonton. The past two Kings seasons have concluded thanks to playoff series losses to the Oilers. So while the ultimate goal of advancing farther than the first round won’t be achieved until the spring, L.A. can get some small amount of revenge here in this one — and perhaps do a very small part in keeping Edmonton out of the playoff field by denying them points on this night.
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 70.45%
Next seven days: @ ANA (Dec. 2), @ LA (Dec. 3), vs. ANA (Dec. 5), vs. WPG (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 9 vs. Philadelphia. Three teams at the 2017 NHL draft decided that they’d rather have a player not named Cale Makar in their system. The Devils (who selected Nico Hischier No. 1) and Stars (who took Miro Heiskanen No. 3) are clearly happy with their choices. The same can’t be said about the Flyers, who took Nolan Patrick No. 2; Patrick played in 197 games for the Flyers, totalling 70 points, prior to a trade to Vegas. Makar doesn’t seem like the vindictive type, but maybe there’s some extra motivation for him here. (Hey, it’s not exactly the most thrilling December schedule for the Avs.)
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 64.58%
Next seven days: @ CGY (Dec. 2), vs. NJ (Dec. 5), vs. MIN (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 14 vs. Florida. In a preview of a potential Cup Final that would delight hockey writers and terrify those who pay for their travel expenses, this one will also feature two of the brightest young American stars in the sport in Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk.
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 69.05%
Next seven days: vs. TB (Dec. 2), @ TB (Dec. 4), @ FLA (Dec. 6), @ WSH (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 9 vs. Vegas. The first two rounds of the 2023 Western Conference finals rematch series needed extra time, with the Knights coming out on top 3-2 in a shootout on Oct. 17 and in overtime on Nov. 22. Will this be another close one between two top-flight Cup contenders?
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 65.22%
Next seven days: vs. NYI (Dec. 2), vs. DAL (Dec. 6)
Game of the month: Dec. 27 at Tampa Bay. Sure, the Panthers will play their two Cup Final rematches against the Golden Knights in a 13-day span (Dec. 23 and Jan. 4), but we have to give the honor for “most interesting game of the month” to the first of three Battle of Florida matchups for this regular season.
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 61.36%
Next seven days: vs. BUF (Dec. 2), WPG (Dec. 4), @ EDM (Dec. 6), @ CGY (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 19 vs. Vegas. The Canes don’t play the Rangers this month — the team they’re currently chasing for the Metro Division lead — so we’ll pick this matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champs. In the past few years, a growing number of people have been picking Sebastian Aho & Co. as their preseason Cup prediction so this is a good barometer for how close they really are.
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 59.09%
Next seven days: vs. CHI (Dec. 2), vs. CAR (Dec. 4), @ COL (Dec. 7)
Games of the month: Dec. 13 at Los Angeles. It’s a reunion for the Jets with former teammate Pierre-Luc Dubois, who the team traded to the Kings this summer. PLD and his new team took Round 1 of the season series back on Oct. 17; who wins this time?
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 64.29%
Next seven days: vs. BOS (Dec. 2), @ OTT (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 9 vs. Nashville. The prodigal Ryan O’Reilly returns! After a brief sojourn with the Leafs at the tail end of 2022-23 and into the postseason, the veteran pivot (and Clinton, Ontario native) moved back down South on a four-year deal. What kind of reception will he get for this one?
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 61.36%
Next seven days: @ MTL (Dec. 2), @ BUF (Dec. 5), vs. SJ (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 5 at Buffalo (or maybe Dec. 7 vs. San Jose?). The Patrick Kane signing was the most anticipated in-season piece of business remaining (until we get to trade season once the calendar flips). Now that the contract is signed, when will we see No. 88 in action? Early buzz is that it’ll be that game in his hometown of Buffalo, but that just makes the Sharks game his home debut.
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 52.08%
Next seven days: @ DAL (Dec. 2), vs. DAL (Dec. 4), vs. PIT (Dec. 6), @ NSH (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 31 vs. Montreal. A rematch of the fever dream that was the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, a second straight Cup for the Lightning in pandemic-influenced circumstances. Oh, and also a superb “destination game” for the Canadian snowbirds out there.
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 65.00%
Next seven days: @ VGK (Dec. 2), @ ARI (Dec. 4), vs. DAL (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 23 vs. Tampa Bay. Due to the Capitals playing in the Southeast Division prior to the latest NHL realignment, the team against whom Alex Ovechkin has scored the most career goals is the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets. But No. 2 on the list (for a similar reason) is the Lightning! And while 2023-24 Ovi has been well behind his usual goal-scoring pace, perhaps this will be the game where he gets back on track in his quest to topple Wayne Gretzky’s record.
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 50.00%
Next seven days: vs. NYR (Dec. 2), @ BUF (Dec. 3), @ CHI (Dec. 5), vs. TB (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 23 vs. Stars. Matt Duchene scored 197 points in 249 games for the Predators between 2019-20 and 2022-23 prior to being bought out by the team this past summer. The Stars moved in to quickly sign the 2009 No. 3 pick, and he’s been a key contributor for them this season. What kind of reaction will he get from the Smashville faithful in his first game back?
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 56.82%
Next seven days: @ ARI (Dec. 2), @ VGK (Dec. 4), vs. VGK (Dec. 6)
Games of the month: Dec. 4 at Vegas, Dec. 6 vs. Vegas. With the Blues among the clubs in playoff position as the calendar turns to December, many hockey fans are wondering: Is this team for real? A home-and-home against the defending Cup champs will tell us all quite a bit about just how serious to take St. Louis.
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 52.17%
Next seven days: @ PIT (Dec. 2), vs. PIT (Dec. 4), @ ARI (Dec. 7)
Games of the month: Dec. 2 at Pittsburgh, Dec. 4 vs. Pittsburgh. One of the surprises of the season is that as of Dec. 1, the Flyers are ahead of the Penguins in the standings. Philly can make a statement with this home-and-home mini-series against their rivals.
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Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 54.76%
Next seven days: vs. SJ (Dec. 1), @ VAN (Dec. 5), @ SEA (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 5 at Vancouver. With recent news that the NHL and NHLPA are looking to resurrect the hockey World Cup (or whatever you want to call an international tournament with four teams), and the belief that NHL players will participate in the 2026 Olympics, some American fans are extra excited to see all three Hughes brothers compete for Team USA. But before any of that, the first family of American hockey will have a milestone on this night, as Jack and Luke visit big brother Quinn, with this being the first NHL game the trio will play against each other. (The return match is Jan. 6 in Newark.)
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 54.55%
Next seven days: vs. STL (Dec. 2), vs. WSH (Dec. 4), vs. PHI (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 12 at Pittsburgh. Logan Cooley is off to a strong start in his rookie campaign, and is certainly a building block for the Zona Yotes as they push back towards contention. He’s also a Pittsburgh native, who started his hockey journey as a “Little Penguin” — the youth hockey program started by Sidney Crosby. This will be Cooley’s first NHL game back home against Crosby & Co.
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 52.27%
Next seven days: vs. PHI (Dec. 2), @ PHI (Dec. 4), @ TB (Dec. 6)
Game of the month: Dec. 18 vs. Minnesota. Sure, there are a number of critical matchups against fellow playoff hopefuls on the docket this month, but we’d be remiss not to circle this matchup, which — pending the whims of new head coach John Hynes — will see Marc-Andre Fleury patrolling the creases on Pittsburgh ice.
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 47.83%
Next seven days: @ CAR (Dec. 2), vs. NSH (Dec. 3), vs. DET (Dec. 5), @ BOS (Dec. 7)
Games of the month: Dec. 5 vs. Detroit, Dec. 31 at Ottawa. All games count equally in the standings, but with the Sabres being grouped with the Senators and Red Wings in the “Atlantic Risers” trio, these games serve as a measuring stick for which team is closest to contention. Buffalo has gone 1-0 against Ottawa this season, but has yet to play Detroit. Oh and we almost forgot: The Dec. 5 game could be the Red Wings debut for Buffalo native Patrick Kane.
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 54.55%
Next seven days: @ FLA (Dec. 2), vs. SJ (Dec. 5), vs. CBJ (Dec. 7)
Games of the month: Dec. 27 vs. Pittsburgh, Dec. 31 at Pittsburgh. No games against their rival Rangers or Devils this month, so we’ll go with a pair against a team looking to oust them from a spot among the playoff contenders.
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 50.00%
Next seven days: vs. VAN (Dec. 2), vs. MIN (Dec. 5), vs. CAR (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 18 vs. Florida. While there may be some heat for the Flames’ Dec. 9 matchup hosting Tyler Toffoli and his new team, the Devils, we’d bet there will be a bit more interest for a different Eastern visitor later in the month, which counts a more prominent former Flame among its claw (yes, that’s what a group of panthers is called). Matthew Tkachuk got a standing ovation in last season’s visit, and while we wouldn’t expect that again, there are sure to be a good number of No. 19 sweaters in the crowd.
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 43.18%
Next seven days: vs. CAR (Dec. 6)
Game of the month: Dec. 6 vs. Carolina. The Oilers have had a well-documented tumultuous season. A fire was apparently lit recently, as they ran roughshod over the Caps and Ducks to a combined score of 13-2, followed by a thrilling shootout win over the Golden Knights. This coming Wednesday, they’ll take on another team that was among the top preseason Cup favorites, which will be a true test of whether they’ve really turned a corner.
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 47.83%
Next seven days: vs. DET (Dec. 2), vs. SEA (Dec. 4), vs. LA (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 2 vs. Detroit. After years of serious Stanley Cup contention, the Red Wings chose to lean into a rebuild, a process which is nearing its end as they sit in playoff position right now. The Canadiens haven’t had as much success this century (notwithstanding their Cup Final run in the bizarro 2021 playoffs), and are a season or so behind the Wings in their rebuild process. So perhaps this is a glimpse of the future for Habs fans. If nothing else, it’ll be a showcase of two of the most iconic uniforms in sports.
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 45.83%
Next seven days: @ OTT (Dec. 2), @ MTL (Dec. 4), vs. NJ (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 18 at Dallas. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Stars outlasted the Kraken in the second round of the 2023 playoffs. While the Stars look like they haven’t missed a step, the Kraken have yet to find that next gear that made them so dangerous last spring.
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 47.06%
Next seven days: @ CBJ (Dec. 1), vs. SEA (Dec. 2), vs. NYR (Dec. 5), vs. TOR (Dec. 7)
Games of the month: Dec. 7 vs. Toronto, Dec. 27 at Toronto. In order to get back on track towards a playoff spot, the Sens are going to have to jump over a lot of teams. But one of them is their Ontarian rivals, a team they beat 6-3 back on Nov. 8.
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 39.13%
Next seven days: vs. COL (Dec. 2), @ COL (Dec. 5), @ CHI (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 29 vs. Arizona. Despite a rough run lately, the Ducks should be encouraged by the progress of their new wave of young talent (aside from Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, both currently on IR). This game pits them against another Western riser (albeit one who may also need another year of seasoning before they truly contend for the playoffs).
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 37.50%
Next seven days: vs. OTT (Dec. 1), @ BOS (Dec. 3), vs. LA (Dec. 5), @ NYI (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 1 vs. Ottawa. Is it too early to start projecting out the draft lottery odds for 2024? There have been better seasons in the history of these two franchises — and frankly, there is a lot of talent on both rosters. Nevertheless, these are your bottom two in the Eastern Conference entering this clash (to be fair, the Sharks, Blackhawks and Wild are behind both of them).
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 42.86%
Next seven days: vs. CHI (Dec. 3), @ CGY (Dec. 5), @ VAN (Dec. 7)
Games of the month: Dec. 30 at Winnipeg, Dec. 31 vs. Winnipeg. Much has gone sideways for the Wild this season, eventually leading to the dismissal of head coach Dean Evason this week. While we await the full scale of the after-effects of that move, Wild fans can look forward to a back-to-back, home-and-home series against one of their closest geographic rivals to close out the calendar year.
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 33.33%
Next seven days: @ WPG (Dec. 2), @ MIN (Dec. 3), vs. NSH (Dec. 5), vs. ANA (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 17 vs. Vancouver. Phenom Connor Bedard grew up a Canucks fan in North Vancouver, and while he won’t get to play against them at Rogers Arena until Jan. 22, he will get to skate against this season’s surprise juggernaut in front of his team’s crowd this month.
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 26.09%
Next seven days: @ NJ (Dec. 1), @ NYR (Dec. 3), @ NYI (Dec. 5), @ DET (Dec. 7)
Game of the month: Dec. 10 at Vegas. There was a time when Sharks-Knights games featured two teams getting extra feisty with each other, battling for position near the top of the standings, or in playoff series. Times have changed, and these two clubs are on quite divergent paths now. But hey, the Sharks did pull off a win against the Canucks last week, so maybe they have more magic up their sleeves for this one (or at least more than was on display in the 4-1 and 5-0 losses to Vegas earlier this season).
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Dan Wetzel
Now that Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has removed Pete Rose, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and other deceased players from the game’s “permanently ineligible list,” whatever former stars deemed deserving based on their on-field accomplishments should, at first opportunity, be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In a bombshell, if long overdue, reversal of policy, first reported by ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. on Tuesday, Manfred removed bans for Rose (who bet on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds) and members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox (who fixed the World Series), among others.
After all, banishment was meaningless once they all had died — a life sentence, if you will, for whatever their transgression. Most died decades ago and were on the list for gambling-related offenses.
“Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,” Manfred wrote in a letter to the attorney who petitioned for Rose.
The only remaining purpose of the ban was to keep them from the immortality of being inducted into Cooperstown, which bills itself officially as the “National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.”
The last word is the most important.
Museums exist to tell about history, and history is always messy — including in sports. They shouldn’t be solely designed for the sanitized, establishment-approved version of events, or allow outside considerations to overshadow actual accomplishments. They certainly shouldn’t serve as part of some carrot-and-stick approach to desired behavior.
Should Rose and the others have done what they did? Of course not. Should they have been subject to any potential criminal or civil recourse for their actions? Absolutely. Was MLB within its rights to suspend or punish them in other ways? Definitely.
Rose, for example, should never have been allowed to work in baseball again after it was determined he bet on the Reds to win games while he was the manager.
But that doesn’t mean his record 4,256 hits, his three World Series titles, his MVP award (1973), his 17 All-Star appearances (including when he barreled over catcher Ray Fosse in the 1970 game), his “Charlie Hustle” nickname, or that epic head-first slide — shown so many times on “This Week in Baseball” that a generation of kids either crushed their chests or chipped their teeth trying to emulate it — didn’t occur.
So did his gambling scandal, a 1990 guilty plea for filing false tax returns that cost him five months in a federal prison and a 2017 sworn statement from a woman that he had committed statutory rape back in the 1970s, an allegation for which he was never criminally charged. Throughout his life, he could be indefensibly crude, difficult and confrontational.
It’s all part of the story of Pete Rose.
So let him in, then tell the good, the bad and the ugly so the public can decide what to think. This is the Baseball Hall of Fame, not the pearly gates. It’s about a nice day in central New York State with your family, complete with a gift shop.
If the museum is there to tell the history of the sport, well, how do you do it without Pete Rose? If Hall of Fame induction is reserved for the greatest players, then how could Rose not be among them? His foolishness as a manager shouldn’t have eclipsed his impact as a player.
This is where baseball’s policy was always wrong. It used the prospect of barred entry to the Hall as a deterrence. That isn’t what a museum should be about. The risk of criminal charges, lost wages from suspension and general shame should be enough. If it isn’t, so be it.
Manfred isn’t ready to release those still living from the ineligible list. He’s clinging to the concept of scaring current players straight. “It is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve,” he wrote in the letter.
Perhaps, but should that be the point?
The Hall is already filled with assorted louts, drunks and racists who just happened to be able to either hit or throw a baseball really well. So what? Their personal disgrace is part of their history.
In fairness, their personal failings didn’t affect baseball the way Rose might have as a managerial gambler, and certainly not as the Black Sox did back in the day.
Still, there are owners and commissioners in the Hall who worked for decades to stop baseball from racial integration. That’s a far more widespread impact on the integrity of the game than betting on your team to beat the Dodgers.
Yes, sports wagering is always a concern and was once a major taboo. But public opinion and business realities changed. There are sportsbooks inside MLB stadiums these days, including, for a stretch, with Rose’s old team in Cincinnati.
History is history. The game is the game. The museum is the museum. Tell the story, the whole story, with all the best players and best teams and best tales, no matter how colorful, criminal or regrettable.
America can handle it. Our real national pastime is scandal, after all.
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Greg Wyshynski
The Dallas Stars‘ 3-1 win in Game 4 against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night was a contrast in offensive efficiency. The Jets converted just once on 72 shot attempts. Dallas center Mikael Granlund, meanwhile, needed only three shot attempts in the game to score three goals. His hat trick was all the offense the Stars needed to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, moving one win away from their third straight trip to the Western Conference finals.
“Obviously, the job is not done. We’ve got a lot of work to do. [But] that was a good win,” Granlund said.
It was the first career hat trick for Granlund, a 13-year veteran whom the Stars acquired from the San Jose Sharks in a trade back in February. Three goals on three shots, all of them sailing past Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who remained winless on the road in the 2025 postseason.
Granlund’s first goal came at 8:36 on the power play, as he skated in on three Jets defensemen and fired a snap shot past Hellebuyck from the top of the slot.
“I was just shooting it somewhere and it went in,” Granlund said.
“I got a clean enough look. It was just a damn perfect shot, just above my pad and below my glove,” Hellebuyck lamented.
“Obviously, he probably wants the first one back, the wrister,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said of Hellebuyck. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to get him some run support. Get him a lead.”
Granlund’s second shot and second goal came on a play started by Mikko Rantanen, whose league-leading point total now stands at 19 for the playoffs. His outlet pass found Granlund in the neutral zone, sparking a 2-on-1 with Roope Hintz. Granlund kept the puck and roofed it to give Dallas a 2-1 lead after Nik Ehlers had tied the game for Winnipeg earlier in the second period.
“When you pass all the time, you can surprise the goalie sometimes when you shoot the puck. It’s good to shoot once in a while,” said Granlund, who had twice as many assists (44) as goals (22) in the regular season.
Granlund’s third and final shot attempt of the game was on another Dallas power play in the third period, following a double-minor penalty to defenseman Haydn Fleury for high-sticking Hintz.
Defenseman Miro Heiskanen, in the lineup for the first time since Jan. 28 after missing the last 32 regular-season games and first 10 playoff games because of a knee injury, collected the puck after Matt Duchene rang it off the post. Heiskanen slid it over to Granlund for a one-timer that brought him to his knees on the ice. After the shot beat Hellebuyck at 7:23 of the third period, waves of hats hit the ice in celebration of Granlund’s three-goal night.
It was fitting that Rantanen and Heiskanen had points on Granlund’s hat trick. This was the first game that the Stars’ so-called “Finnish Mafia” played together, as Heiskanen was injured before Granlund and Rantanen joined the team. Those three skaters joined countrymen Hintz and defenseman Esa Lindell in helping Dallas to victory.
“It was fun for sure. Fun to finally be on the ice with them,” Heiskanen said.
Goaltender Jake Oettinger did the rest with 31 saves, many of them on dangerous Winnipeg chances. But in the end, all the Stars needed were three shot attempts, while the Jets’ voluminous offensive night produced only one goal.
“Oettinger made some big stops. But we had 70 shot attempts. We have to get more than one goal,” Arniel said. “If we can’t find more than one goal, we’re not going to win hockey games, especially [against] this team.”
Dallas will attempt to close out the series on Thursday night in Winnipeg.
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David Schoenfield
Pete Rose, Joe Jackson, seven other members of the 1919 Chicago “Black Sox”, six other former players, one coach and one former owner are now eligible to be voted on for the Hall of Fame after commissioner Rob Manfred removed them from Major League Baseball’s permanently ineligible list.
Hall of Fame chairwoman Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement: “The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball’s permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration. Major League Baseball’s decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered.”
Due to Hall of Fame voting procedures, Rose and Jackson won’t be eligible to be voted on until the Classic Era Baseball committee, which votes on individuals who made their biggest impact prior to 1980, meets in December of 2027.
Let’s dig into what all this means.
Why were these players banned?
All individuals on the banned list who were reinstated had been permanently ineligible due to accusations related to gambling related to baseball — either throwing games, accepting bribes, or like Rose, betting on baseball games.
Most of the banned players, including Jackson and his seven Chicago White Sox teammates who threw the 1919 World Series, played in the 1910s, when gambling in baseball was widespread. As historian Bill James once wrote, “Few simplifications of memory are as bizarre as the notion that the Black Sox scandal hit baseball out of the blue. … In fact, of course, the Black Sox scandal was merely the largest wart of a disease that had infested baseball at least a dozen years earlier and had grown, unchecked, to ravage the features of a generation.”
The most famous player, of course, was Jackson, one of baseball’s biggest stars alongside Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker in the 1910s. While many have tried to exonerate Jackson through the years, pointing out that he hit .375 in the 1919 World Series, baseball historians agree that Jackson was a willing participant in throwing the World Series and accepted money from the gambling ring that paid off the White Sox players.
While the White Sox players were acquitted in a criminal trial in 1921, commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned the eight players in a statement that began with the words “Regardless of the verdict of juries …”
If there was an innocent member in the group, it was third baseman Buck Weaver, not Jackson. Weaver had participated in meetings where the fixing of the World Series was discussed, and Landis banned him for life for guilty knowledge.
As for Rose, he was banned in 1989 by commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for betting on games while he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds, including those involving his own team. While Rose denied the accusations for years, he eventually confessed. He died last September at age 83.
Who else is impacted?
Phillies owner William Cox was banned in 1943 and forced to sell the team for betting on games. Cox had just purchased the team earlier that season. None of the other non-White Sox players are of major significance, although Benny Kauff was the big star of the Federal League in 1914-15, winning the batting title both seasons. The Federal League was a breakoff league that attempted to challenge the National and American leagues.
When is the soonest Rose and Jackson could go into the Hall of Fame?
The Hall of Fame voting process for players not considered by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America — such as Rose and Jackson, who never appeared on the ballot due to their banned status — includes two eras: the Contemporary Baseball Era (1980 to present) and the Classic Baseball Era (pre-1980). The voting periods are already set:
December 2025: Player ballot for the Contemporary Era.
December 2026: Contemporary Era ballot for managers, executives and umpires.
December 2027: Classic Era ballot for players, managers, executives and umpires.
Each committee has an initial screening to place eight candidates on the ballot, so Rose and Jackson will first have to make the ballot. While it’s unclear how a future screening committee will proceed, it’s possible that both will make the ballot. While comparisons to players with PED allegations aren’t exactly apples to apples — since they were never placed on the ineligible list — it’s worth noting that Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro were included on the eight-player Contemporary Era ballot in 2023.
Once the ballot is determined — a 16-person committee consisting of Hall of Fame players, longtime executives and media members or historians — convenes and votes. A candidate must receive 12 votes to get selected. In the most recent election in December, Dave Parker and Dick Allen were on the Classic Era ballot.
Which players have the best HOF cases?
Obviously, Rose would have been a slam-dunk Hall of Famer had he never bet on baseball and had he appeared on the BBWAA ballot after his career ended. The all-time MLB leader with 4,256 hits, Rose won three batting titles and was the 1973 NL MVP. And while he’s overrated in a sense — his 79.6 career WAR is more in line with the likes of Jeff Bagwell, Brooks Robinson and Robin Yount than all-time elite superstars — and hung on well past his prime to break Ty Cobb’s hits record, his popularity and fame would have made him an inner-circle Hall of Famer.
Whether he’ll get support now is complicated. Bonds and Clemens both received fewer than four votes in 2023. The committee usually consists of eight former players, and they may not support Rose given the one hard and fast rule that every player knows: You can’t bet on the game.
Jackson, meanwhile, was a star of the deadball era, hitting .408 in 1911 and .356 in his career, an average that ranks fourth all time behind only Cobb, Negro Leagues star Oscar Charleston and Rogers Hornsby. He finished with 62.2 WAR and 1,772 hits in a career that ended at age 32 due to the ban. Those figures would be low for a Hall of Fame selection, although the era committees did recently elect Allen and Tony Oliva, both of whom finished with fewer than 2,000 hits. And again, it is hard to say how the committee will view Jackson’s connection to gambling on the sport.
The only other reinstated player with a semblance of a chance to get on a ballot is pitcher Eddie Cicotte, who won 209 games and finished with 59.7 WAR. While his final season came at 36, the knuckleballer was still going strong, having won 29 games for the White Sox in 1919 and 21 in 1920 before Landis banned him.
For what it’s worth, the top position players in career WAR who made their mark prior to 1980 and aren’t in the Hall of Fame are Rose, Bill Dahlen (75.3), Bobby Grich (71.0), Graig Nettles (67.6), Reggie Smith (64.6), Ken Boyer (62.8), Jackson and Sal Bando (61.5).
Pitching candidates would include Luis Tiant (65.7), Tommy John (61.6) and Wes Ferrell (60.1). John was on the recent ballot and received seven votes. Others on that ballot included Steve Garvey, Boyer, Negro Leagues pitcher John Donaldson, Negro Leagues manager Vic Harris and Tiant.
Other potential pre-1980 candidates could include Thurman Munson, Bert Campaneris, Dave Concepcion and Stan Hack.
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