Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
I think nowadays, lower level players get pushed out by younger players sooner. Players seem to peak sooner and you don't see situations were a quarter to third of the team is between 30-35, so it seems like a young player's game. But due to conditioning, we also see many more examples of players that can hold on until 40.
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I think a lot of it has to do with the recent emphasis on skating. It's not so much that players lose their skating ability around age 30, though that happens to a degree. It's more that the young players coming into the league were drafted with more emphasis on their skating ability, and most of them worked very hard to develop that skill.
A player who was drafted in 2006 because he was 6'4" and could hit like a Mack truck, even if he hasn't lost a step due to age, is out of luck in a league where big hits are frowned upon. (Even the players have learned how to spell
concusion kunkusshin head injury.) A player drafted in 2016 because he could skate like the wind is still in style.