Oh lol that's not the only ones declining around that age. Oduya used to be a pretty good skater too, actually comfortably better than Jensen. That didn't stop him from declining at 35 y/o. I mean, it's the NHL, it's usually the Lidstroms, Crosbys, Alfredssons who are still pretty damn good in their late 30's
Luckily, Jensen's term left is perfect for us, buys us a bit of time to develop Yakemchuk.
I don't see Oduya prime as a better skater. His skating style was more compact and busy whereas Jensen is heads up and fluid. If Oduya skated like Morgan Reilly, Jensen skates like Mark Giordano and to me one is more efficient than the other. That's obviously not a knock on Oduya's skating whatsoever, just different and I think you are selling Jensen short, his skating is very good, bordering on exceptional imo.
More importantly though the difference between the two is that Oduya was more physical. He initiated more contact, played when the NHL was more physical and generally put himself in the middle of battles more than Jensen's style. He was more of a warrior, partially due to opportunity in some hard fought playoff runs. I would say that had a lot to do with his decline. Jensen doesn't play that style, he hasnt put on the same miles. At the same age Jensen has played far fewer games, including a fraction of the playoff games.
Anyway, you are right, term is perfect but I could also see Jensen being effective deeper into his career due to his style.
