In the coming days (or most likely weeks), I plan to take on the unenviable task of ranking the top ten active goaltenders, top ten active defensemen, and the top twenty-five forwards in the NHL. Now, the last thing the world needs is another top ten list, I know, but I wanted to look at it from a different point of view; that is, I wanted to rank active NHL players to determine which of those players, currently in the league will be the greatest fifteen-twenty years from now. In other words, when these players retire, who will be remembered as the greatest? A player's legacy is not simply based on their statistical performance but it is a combination of many things, including statistics, both in the regular and postseasons, regular and postseason success, awards and honors, and just general star quality. Some players are simply remembered for their statistics (Marcel Dionne), others for success (the Richard brothers) and some for both (Gretzky and Messier).

This debate is purely subjective and I know people will disagree with my list and I'd love to hear any suggestions, players I've left off, and/or players that do not belong on this list. Remember, this list is based on performance thus far, and projected success in the future. These projections have no foundation whatsoever, other than pure instinct.
Let the debate begin....

#10
Marc-Andre Fleury – This generation’s Grant Fuhr, Fleury will most likely give a ton of goals on the high-flying Penguins, but he stands to win a LOT of games behind the three-headed monster that is Crosby, Malkin, and Staal. The first overall pick in 2003 has begun to show major promise in his second full NHL season (despite his recent struggles) and with a record of 31-14-7 for the young, and still improving, Penguins, Fleury is showing that he can be the franchise goalie he was expected to be.

#9
Kari Lehtonen – The 2nd overall pick in 2002, Lehtonen was expected to be the missing link, the player that would, once and for all, put the Thrashers over the top and into the playoffs. Lehtonen has done nothing but exceed expectations. Now in his second full season, Lehtonen has amassed an impressive 52-34-8 record, on a team that has never made the playoffs. However, stuck in a non-traditional market on team that plays poor defense, Lehtonen will face his fair share of struggles, despite star teammates Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa, and that, more than anything else may define his career. Through sheer talent alone, Lehtonen will win a lot of games, but it all may be for naught in a market like Atlanta.

#8
J.S. Giguere – Giguere, known most prominently for his role in the restoration of the Mighty Ducks franchise, has proven himself to be a stellar goaltender. In 2003, he brought Anaheim, almost single-handedly to the 7th game of the Stanley Cup Finals, deservedly winning the Conn Smythe Trophy for his efforts. Since being drafted 12th overall in 1995 by Hartford, Giguere has amassed over 150 career wins, and figures to win many more in the future, despite most likely sharing time with backup Ilya Bryzgalov. Perhaps his legacy was sealed in almost bringing down the mighty Devils in 2003, but J.S. Giguere will continue to stifle opposing offenses for years to come. 

#7
Curtis Joseph – Curtis “CuJo” Joseph has, more or less, been defined by his great regular season success. Unfortunately, his success in the regular season has failed to translate into the postseason. Approaching 450 career wins, Joseph has failed to make any major impact in the playoffs, with a current record of 62-66 in the postseason. Nonetheless, Joseph is a three-time All-Star and Olympic Gold medallist in 2002 with Canada.

#6
Ed Belfour – A six-time All-Star, the 1991 Calder Trophy winner, 4-time winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy, 2-time winner of the Vezina Trophy, 2002 Olympic Goal Medallist with Canada, and starting goaltender for the 1999 Stanley Cup winning Dallas Stars, Ed Belfour has done plenty to place himself among some of the greatest names in the history of the position. With almost 450 career wins, Belfour is one of the winningest goalies in history, in addition to his 76 career shutouts, and 88 career playoff wins. Belfour’s resume speaks for itself, but in terms of greatness, few will remember him among the likes of Dryden, Roy, and Hasek. 

#5
Roberto Luongo – Luongo has long been considered one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, but consistently lacked a good enough team in front of him to adequately illustrate his excellence. Since being traded from Florida to Vancouver, Luongo has proven himself to be one of the best goalies the league has seen in years. Already in contention for the Hart and Vezina trophies, he figures to thrive in the hockey-rich market in Western Canada and continue his stellar play. The only criticism of Luongo’s game is that he not only lacks any playoff success, he lacks any playoff experience at all, having not played in a postseason tournament since the 2000 AHL playoffs. How Luongo plays in coming years for the Canucks in the playoffs, will greatly determine how he is remembered. (Note: I always love to point out that the NY Islanders passed on Luongo and Olli Jokinen, trading both of them to the Florida Panthers in 2000 for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha; I just thought that was worth mentioning.)

#4
Miikka Kiprusoff – A lowly 5th round pick in 1995, Kiprusoff has emerged as perennial Vezina contender, after being given the chance to start in Calgary. An All-Star in 2007, Kiprusoff, now only in his second full-season of starting, has already won the Vezina trophy and the Jennings trophy, while compiling over 100 career wins, not including 19 in only two years of playoff experience. Kiprusoff, in his first year of starting led the Calgary Flames to within one game of winning the Stanley Cup and figures to continue such dominance (1.92 GAA, .927 SV%) in the playoffs in the future. Kiprusoff is seen as only the beginning of future Finnish dominance of the goaltending position, and if that is the case, the future is certainly bright for the NHL. 

#3
Ryan Miller – I’ll admit, I might be slightly biased here, but I predict that Ryan Miller will not be remembered as a great goaltender because of his statistics (which are good in their own right, but, historically, not particularly noteworthy) but because Miller stands to win an incredible amount of games with the Sabres. Buffalo has emerged in front of the former Hobey Baker Memorial Award Winner as an elite team in the new NHL and will most likely continue to thrive into the foreseeable future. In only his second full season of starting, Miller is nearing 70 career wins (and figures to gain more playing time following the trade of backup Martin Biron) and in his only playoff year, acquired 11 wins, coming one game short of the Stanley Cup Finals. Often the greatest goaltenders are not remembered for their statistics, but because they won, regardless of how good the team around them was; as much as the goalie’s success is a result of how the team around him plays, the team’s success is also a result of good the goaltender plays, as well.

#2
Martin Brodeur – A first round pick in 1990, Martin Brodeur has emerged as one of the, if not, arguably, the greatest goaltender of all-time. Playing behind future Hall of Famers like Niedermayer and Stevens, and behind underrated defensemen like Daneyko and Rafalski, Brodeur and the Devils have been the epitome of success in the past 10-12 years. Approaching 500 career wins, Brodeur has led 11 consecutive seasons of 37 or more wins, including 92 shutouts, both of which are records the future Hall of Famer is expected to break. Regardless of his regular season success, Brodeur has performed essentially perfect in his playoff career, winning 3 Stanley Cups, and also coming close twice more, losing to Ray Bourque’s Avalanche in Game 7 of the 2001 Finals, and losing to Messier’s Rangers in 1994, in only his rookie year. He was the starting goaltender for Canada in the 2002 Olympics, going undefeated and winning the Gold Medal. He is the 1994 Calder Trophy Winner, a 9-time NHL All-Star, a 4-time winner of the Jennings Trophy, and twice won the illustrious Vezina trophy as the league’s best goaltender. Brodeur is also, arguably, the greatest puck-handling goaltender of all-time, in addition to being one of few goalies to have ever scored a goal. There is little doubt that Brodeur will retire as the most accomplished goaltender in history, but will he be known as the best ever?

#1
Dominik Hasek – Among all active goaltenders, Dominik Hasek should be regarded as the best ever. A two-time Jennings Trophy winner, a two-time winner of the Lester B. Pearson Award, a six-time Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s best goaltender, and twice a winner of the Hart Trophy, the league’s Most Valuable Player, Dominik Hasek has clearly established that, when healthy, he is the game’s best goalie. Hasek has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, which also started much later than expected, when he had little desire to leave Czechoslovakia, but still, Hasek has managed to win over 300 games, single-handedly carry the Buffalo Sabres to the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals, and eventually win the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. Hasek essentially revolutionized the goaltender position, and with his once “unorthodox” style became the quite possibly the greatest and most dominant goaltender of all-time.

Honorable Mention: Rick DiPietro (his 15-year contract will taint his legacy regardless of how he performs)

(Note: All necessary information and/or statistics are from TSN.ca)