You can cross your fingers and hope Tanev gets progressively worse over the next few years, but his style of play will age very well.
Tanev doesn’t rely on speed or physicality - - he understands positioning so well and it’s not like he’s going to suddenly get dumber and forget it o er the next few years. And he can get into shoot lanes and block shots until he’s 40 no problem. He’s certainly not going to become fearful of doing that.
As for McCabe, he’s had some horrifically bad giveaways and ill advised pinches where he gets burned and gives up odd man rushes.
Even novice fans and casual observers should be able recognize that Tanev has been far superior to McCabe this year.
I mean I don't think him saying a 35 year old get's worse as time goes on is that crazy or "hoping for a players downfall".
I also completely disagree with the style of play comment. His style of play is incredibly injury riddled as evidenced by the fact that he has missed games almost every year, and a lot of seasons he was in the 50-60 games range. The older he gets the harder he's going to find it to recover from them.
As for the second paragraph, we said almost the exact same thing as TJ Brodie who also didn't rely on either but more so his iq and stick work. He fell off quicker than anyone expected, one month he was good and then the next he was unplayable from that point on. The biggest thing I remember noticing was that he lost a step and was always second to pucks, and then he never was physical so he just lost those battles. I'm not saying Tanev will age like that but it's to highlight that even if a players speed or physicality aren't their strong suits, a fall off in one of those categories can change a lot
moreover, the team plays/relies on McCabe more than Tanev game in and game out. Here's how they compare note that tanev has played 73 games and McCabe only 66.
| Name | TOI | EV TOI | PK TOI | PP TOI |
| Tanev | 1444.6 | 1259.3 | 182.4 | 2.9 |
| McCabe | 1419.8 | 1243.0 | 165.6 | 11.3 |
So Tanev has played ~25 more minutes in 7 more games. McCabe would play more PK, EV and PP than him. On top of that analytics/fancy stats are very close between the two. Also, McCabe is on pace for ~30 points and a +23 and Tanev is on pace for ~20 points and is a + 28.
I don't really think there's a problem with putting one or the other ahead, they are in a 1A/1B situation and I'd probably have Tanev ahead. Doesn't mean there aren't arguements for McCabe being the other way.
Btw, if your only response is going to be "watch the games" than just save us both some time and don't even reply. It's not an actual argument, only one that can support a real point.
