Three NHL veterans primed for decline

Like in life, age catches up to you in the game of hockey.

Every year the hockey world watches its fair share of productive veterans see their point totals drop significantly in large part due to the rigors of the NHL grind finally catching up to them.

Some who fell victim to Father Time last season include Saku Koivu (seven less points in four more games played), Andrew Brunette (15 less points) and even younger veterans like Scott Gomez (21 less points) and Joe Thornton (19 less points).

With a new season comes new players who will see their play trail off as the wear and tear on their bodies ultimately begins to affect their production.

One player bound to decline is one of the best players currently in the NHL, Martin St. Louis. Fresh off turning 36 this June, the Laval, Quebec native is coming off a 99-point season, 20-point playoffs, Second Team All-Star nod and Lady Byng trophy.

Sure, the numbers and accolades are hardly the signs of a decline in the making, but, one could have said the same thing about Daniel Alfredsson when he was coming off an 89-point campaign in 2007-2008.

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As with Alfredsson before him, St. Louis will see his minutes strategically managed in an effort to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Even with Ryan Malone out to start the year, one can expect Steve Downie and Teddy Purcell to play more than 14:31 and 14:06 per game, respectively. In his season of decline, Alfredsson saw nearly two less minutes of ice time per game and had 15 less points. Don’t be surprised if the same occurs in Tampa with their speediest winger.

Another veteran primed for a noticeable decline in 2011-12 is Coyote Ray Whitney – who, in a lot of ways, is similar to the Blues’ Jamie Langenbrunner. Both are productive players who have been around the league for a long time, won at least one Cup each and have performed well on a number of teams.

It was just last season that Langenbrunner saw his production drop dramatically, posting a mere 32 points after coming off a 61-point season and captaining the Devils to the playoffs.

Like Langenbrunner, Whitney will be playing on a team that will struggle this coming season. If Phoenix is out of the playoff hunt early then assume a full youth movement will take place at the trade deadline and beyond.

Since Don Maloney and Dave Tippett have taken over the Coyotes, they have consistently added established veterans to their roster – see: Robert Lang, Adrian Aucoin, Lee Stempniak – in order to compete in the ultra-tough Western Conference. But, with the loss of Ilya Bryzgalov and no suitable replacement acquired, veterans like Whitney and Shane Doan are sure to be targeted by other teams since Phoenix will be looking to try out their young guns such as Andy Miele, Mikkel Boedker and Brett MacLean a bit more.

Lastly, a guy like Lubomir Visnovsky is set up perfectly for a downward campaign. First and foremost, coming off a career year with 68 points, he’ll be hard pressed to repeat the same numbers. And while all the talent is still in Anaheim, it’s doubtful Visnovsky will continue to see over four minutes of power-play time a night like he has in the past.

In his first season, Cam Fowler was already logging an average of just over three and a half minutes on the man advantage per game. Going into his second year, said number is destined to increase as the Ducks continue to sludge their way back up the Western Conference standings.

Over the last couple of seasons, the Detroit Red Wings slowly decreased Brian Rafalski’s power-play time in favor of other options such as Nicklas Kronwall, Mike Modano, etc., which ultimately reduced his overall ice time. Expect the same thing to happen with Visnovsky in the Golden State, especially if the Ducks are in a position to make a lengthy playoff run.

It’s a sad but true fact of life, time catches up with everyone. In what has become a league for young men, it keeps getting harder and harder for veterans to produce top-end numbers.

For these three players, their declines may officially begin as soon as October.

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