Next 45+ year-old active player?

[Chainshot]

Konsta Helenius

Knowing how old he is, I will be older than my father is now if Helenius makes it to 45.

 

[Hostile Offer]

Corey Perry doesn’t appear to be slowing down at all somehow

That's because it's physically impossible to get any slower Seriously though it's impressive how well he has adapted to extend his career this far, in his final years with the Ducks it looked like he was going to hang 'em up sooner than Getzlaf but here we are.

 

[abax44]

I'm not sure we'll see it happen again. The tempo the game is higher and requires a greater level of baseline conditioning than it used to. Even the GOAT of longevity, Gordie Howe, wouldn't have played nearly as long in the modern era.

IMO it would have to be another player in the mold of Ovechkin or Jagr; big bodied forwards who don't rely on speed, don't take many hits (perhaps out of deference), and either have a world-class shot or playmaking. But even then, I can't see Ovechkin being effective beyond another year or two, even if he did have the desire to keep going, which does not seem to be the case. And it's even more unlikely that any defenseman could provide value at that age.

Ovi can't skate now, how will he last another 5 seasons?

 

[Toby91ca]

I mean durability and skating are two important skills here. Matt Cullen was a pretty average player so who knows on next player to accomplish this feat

He also only played to 42, not 45

 

[Victoire HuGo]

He also only played to 42, not 45

42, 45, impressive nonetheless. Even 40 is remarkable.

I guess with more teams it increases the chances of this happening

 

[Bank Shot]

Corey Perry doesn’t appear to be slowing down at all somehow

It's because he was always slow.

 

[RevengeOfTheDrai]

McDavid if he decides to chase Gretzky’s point record.

 

[syz]

Evan Bouchard is already that old.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Crosby could definitely still play in some capacity at 45 if he wanted to. But I don't think he wants to hang around as a role player.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Ovi can't skate now, how will he last another 5 seasons?

He doesn’t really have to- a bottom dweller could pay him to play the 4th line and score 15-20 goals on the pp. Add in merch sales and mentoring and it’d make sense imo.

 

[OysterForever]

Konsta Helenius

Guy looks like 24yo when he's 45

 

[edevils]

The Hughes brothers should be able to play until age 45 because they only average 50 games a season. Lots left in the tank.

 

[The Panther]

Even the GOAT of longevity, Gordie Howe, wouldn't have played nearly as long in the modern era.

Fun factoid: If Eric Lindros's career had gone as long as Gordie Howe's, Lindros would still have been playing in 2024-25.

 

[Frosty415]

I think Crosby can do it, he's a great captain and leader and is still playing great

 

[Felidae]

If Jagr could still be a decent 1st line player from ages 40-43, I don't see why Crosby couldn't, considering their essentially the same calibre of player.

Maybe Ovi too. It's just a matter of whether they want to.

Another good answer is Kopitar. He's barely missed any games while playing in all situations. One could argue in terms of overall career, he's had the hardest workload of any active forward. The man is a workhorse.

 

[ijuka]

MacKinnon seems the kinda guys to pull it off, he's such a freak with his health

In terms of motivation, sure, but from what I've read, it seems more grounded in pseudoscience so I wouldn't put my money on it.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

obviously Connor Bedard

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Crosby could definitely still play in some capacity at 45 if he wanted to. But I don't think he wants to hang around as a role player.

Here's a far-fetched (but not out of the realm of possibility) scenario:

I bet if Pens bottom out next year....
But the Rangers ALSO bottom out (Pens have their 1st).

So the Pens are lined up to get Gavin McKenna and Ethan Belchetz.
And then imagine those 2 take major steps leading the Penguins back to the playoffs in 2027

At 39 years old, on an up and coming team with 2-future stars. Do you think Crosby would stick around in the same type of role Brian Trottier had on those Mario cup winning teams?

I mean I'm not a huge Pens fan, but a part of me thinks they can turn this around in 2 years before Crosby's contract finishes, and they convince him to sign a 1-year contract to help see a reload through.

 

[DJJones]

If Backlund is happy with a 3C/4C role feels like he could play forever. Always the best fit player, style of play seems like it'll age well.

45 is just ridiculous though. I'll guess he plays until 40. No doubt Crosby could do it as well but he seems less likely to want to play in the bottom 6.

 

[Flukeshot]

With a lot of speculation the NHL will expand to 36 teams and the concern for watered down talent, I think it could be more common to see players aged 40+ in the league.

Let's use Claude Giroux and similar. Can he be a middle 6F getting about 50pts for the next 3 years? I think so. What would prevent a player like him from sticking around another 3-5 years, aside from health, would be a steep production drop. But if the whole league is "watered down" than so is the standard of being a "good" player.

45 is a long way away from 40 though.

 

[jigglysquishy]

With a lot of speculation the NHL will expand to 36 teams and the concern for watered down talent, I think it could be more common to see players aged 40+ in the league.

Let's use Claude Giroux and similar. Can he be a middle 6F getting about 50pts for the next 3 years? I think so. What would prevent a player like him from sticking around another 3-5 years, aside from health, would be a steep production drop. But if the whole league is "watered down" than so is the standard of being a "good" player.

45 is a long way away from 40 though.

Expansion is an easy way for older players to stick around.

6 goalies have ever played an NHL game at 43 or older.

Maurice Roberts played as an emergency backup in 1951. Lester Patrick played as an emergency backup in 1928. Dominik Hasek was Dominik Hasek in 2008.

Then three goalies (Bower, Worsley, Plante) benefited from the 1967 expansion.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Crosby - Crosby
McKinnon - everything I have heard is insane
ROR - idk man something speaks to me
Kopitar - The Man robbed of selkes

The top 4 i would pick. Yes they all play center.

 

[frisco]

Jagr. Back next year on the second line for the Pens at 54. 14 goals and 31 assists.

My Best-Carey

 

[TheBeard]

I'll go with old man Burns

Dude at 40 hasn't missed a game since Covid.

 

[joestevens29]

Jaromir Jagr.

He'll be in the 65+ category