Talent…doesn’t go away? It absolutely does. Especially with age and injuries. His first season was really his only season that flashed skill and has been middling to bad ever since. 32 year old oft injured defencemen don’t suddenly play like they are 10 years younger.
I’ll look through the various lists later tonight and see who I can identify. Don’t have the time right this minute.
Regarding Talent: Well the context is within the NHL window, and Zaitsev has not aged out yet. He's only 32.
He's looking back at early seasons of mid-pairing play, while most bottom pair Dmen this offseason will be looking up at that marker, never having achieved it before.
2016-17: 3rd in EV TOI/GP (1st in TOI)
2017-18: 2nd in EV TOI/GP
2018-19: 4th in EV TOI/GP (2nd in TOI)
2019-20: 2nd in EV TOI/GP (3rd in TOI)
2020-21: 2nd in EV TOI/GP (2nd in TOI)
2021-22: 7th in EV TOI/GP (4th in TOI)
That last season is where he dipped in his EV TOI/GP while still finishing 4th in overall EV TOI. The next year, he gets traded to CHI and they draft 1st overall. Terrible team. Meaning, there have been 5 seasons where he was clearly a top4 Dman, another where it was arguable (2021-22), and then in the tank for the last 2. Worth a Juulsen type spare Dman look? To me, without a shadow of a doubt.
Edit: At $775k~, if he doesn't work out, bury him in the minors. No loss.