Who will be included in the 2016 Hockey Hall of Fame class?

Because there's never enough news in the hockey world, the Hall of Fame board will hold its annual selection meeting Monday to determine its class for 2016.

There are 14 first-time eligible players who meet the consideration criteria, a list that includes Milan Hejduk, Petr Sykora, and Jamie Langenbrunner, but this latest wave is without an undeniable first-ballot candidate.

So, it appears it's time for the holdovers to burst through the Hall of Fame doors.

Here are our five leading candidates, all of whom have been passed over, ranked:

Eric Lindros

The unrealized aspect of Lindros' career will never detach itself from his legacy, but that doesn't change what this anomalous behemoth was at one point.

Engineered as to be dominant, Lindros had an unequaled blend of skill and strength. It made him one of, if not the best player in the NHL at the height of his career, something those now up, and those remaining eligible, cannot claim.

He scored at what was an all-time rate in eight injury-affected seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, and remains one of the NHL's 20 most productive per-game scorers despite concussions and inactivity having reduced him to a middling contributor for the final third of his career.

Doing it his way, Lindros divided himself to the institution, but that doesn't change the fact that he's the only eligible former Hart Trophy winner to not have been inducted, and he's certainly more deserving than some.

Mark Recchi

If the greatest barometer is individual production, than the seismic offensive totals in Recchi's portfolio should eventually do the trick.

Longevity his hallmark, Recchi, ranked 12th all time with 1,533 career NHL points, neighbors with an assembly of the greatest offensive players in the sport's history, and, really, a collection that makes up the Hall of Fame's backbone.

Though he was never really among a handful of the very best players in the league at any point in his career, he racked up an impressive 440 points across four seasons beginning in 1990. But what should tip the scales in Recchi's favor are 147 additional points achieved in his postseason career, which helped realize three Stanley Cup titles.

Paul Kariya

Kariya finished his relatively short career with an ineffectual (at least by Hall of Fame standard) 989 points, but remains one of less than 50 players to finish their careers having scored at least a point per game.

He won the Hobey Baker for a 100-point season at the University of Maine, but the closest he came to a major NHL award (unless you include his two Lady Byngs) was a second-place finish for the Hart Trophy in 1997.

Kariya won gold at three levels of international competition, which includes scoring three times at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, helping Canada snap its 50-year drought.

Dave Andreychuk

Andreychuk's in the same boat as Recchi: a non-elite, unyielding point producer that stuck around long enough to carve out a definitive place in the sport's history, and achieved a lasting measure of success.

He scored more goals, and unlike any other eligible player, actually holds a reasonably significant NHL record, having more power-play markers (276) than any player in history.

Andreychuk was never in consideration for a major award in his 24 years, but captained the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup. That run went even beyond team and individual achievement, as it greatly contributed to the sunbelt franchise establishing itself as a healthy hockey market.

Jeremy Roenick

A nine-time All-Star, Roenick earned celebrity status in the NHL for both his talent and personality.

With 1,216 career points, he's the fourth-leading American-born scorer (third if you include playoffs) after following up three 100-point seasons in his prime with the Chicago Blackhawks with fairly consistent production in more than a decade to follow.

As far as tangible accolades, both individual and team, he never achieved anything lasting.