Top 10 biggest what-ifs in NHL history feat. Mario Lemieux being healthy

The NHL has been around for over 100 years. Given its longevity, there are big questions on what-if certain things happened and how those things would have changed the future of the NHL.

The NHL has a lot of luck involved like the draft lottery, or players being traded, picks being traded, and others.

Let's take a look at the top 10 what-ifs in NHL history.

10. What if there wasn't a lockout in 2005?

The 2004-05 NHL season was a lost season. The owners and players couldn't agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, so the season didn't happen.

Unfortnately, after no deal was reached, the NHL canceled the season. Some of the biggest what-ifs are, what would've happened that season? Who would've won the Cup? And what key players would've been traded? These are just a few of the questions that went unanswered.

9. Bobby Orr stays healthy

A big what-if for many NHL fans is, what would've happened if Bobby Orr stayed healthy?

Orr played just 12 NHL seasons, but in his final three seasons, he played a total of 36 games and also missed a full year. Orr is one of the best players of all time and arguably the best defenseman ever. But, what would his career look like if he never dealt with chronic injuries?

8. What if there wasn't a salary cap?

This is more of a fantasy one, but some fans have always wondered, what if a salary cap didn't exist?

The salary cap makes parity in the NHL happen, but if there was no cap, it's likely teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers, among others, would dominate the NHL as they would have the most cap to spend.

7. Would hockey have survived in LA without the Gretzky trade?

Wwayne Gretzky was dealt to LA

Wayne Gretzky is the greatest player in NHL history. After winning multiple Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, the team traded him in 1988 to the Los Angeles Kings.

Gretzky immediately brought life to the Los Angeles market, which desperately needed a star. Would the franchise or hockey, in general, have worked in California without Gretzky? The answer is unclear.

6. What if Brett Hull's Stanley Cup-winning goal didn't count?

This one is something Buffalo Sabres fans hoped had happened.

In 1999, Hull scored a triple-OT goal in Game 6 to win the Stanley Cup for the Dallas Stars. However, it was revealed Hull was in the crease, which should have made the goal disallowed.

What would have happened if the goal was disallowed? Well, Dallas could've still won the game or Buffalo could've, and that would've forced a Game 7, and maybe Buffalo would have won its first-ever Stanley Cup.

5. What if Eric Lindros never forced a trade?

Eric Lindros was drafted first overall in 1991 by the Quebec Nordiques but demanded a trade as he wouldn't play for Quebec.

He ended up being traded to Philadelphia, and his career was cut short due to injuries. If he'd stayed with Quebec, he would've played with Joe Sakic, and perhaps that would have been enough to win a Cup.

4. What if Pittsburgh won the Ovechkin lottery?

The Pittsburgh Penguins were tanking to try and win the lottery and draft Alexander Ovechkin in the 2004 NHL Draft. Unfortunately, they didn't win the lottery and ended up picking second and drafted Evgeni Malkin.

3. What if the Penguins lost the Crosby lottery?

This builds into the last one, but after the Penguins lost the lottery in 2004, they won it in 2005. However, they ended up winning the draft lottery the next year to draft Sidney Crosby.

Those two draft lotteries changed the fortune of Pittsburgh who ended up winning three Cups with Malkin and Crosby.

2. What if Jaromir Jagr played his entire career in the NHL?

Jaromir Jagr is one of the best NHL players of all time as he played in 1,733 NHL games and recorded 1,921 points. However, after the 2008 season, he left the NHL to play in the KHL for three years, which many were surprised by.

Had Jagr kept playing in the NHL, he would've gotten 2,000 NHL points and could have further cemented his career even more.

1. What if Mario Lemieux stayed healthy?

Mario Lemieux is one of the best players in NHL history, but he was diagnosed with cancer and chronic back problems.

These two issues kept him from playing in the NHL for three years while he was in his prime. If he had healthy, perhaps he would have closed in on breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time point record and be considered the best ever.