They are what they are - flawed players. Both are smart and, for their size, seem to do a good job staying healthy, but they aren't complete enough to avoid being played by the book. Play them a certain way, and they don't have a way out, sans playing on a line with a much bigger fish.
People are acting like they're bombing out Sheahan-style. They're still both on pace for ~45 points despite playing like crap. If you're expecting 60+ point guys yearly, then you're probably over-estimating them.
And yet...Scoring is down league-wide - the worst since the season-long lockout. And the PP - which should be where small, skilled types thrive - is mediocre at best, which is a team problem.
But really, I think the reason why everyone is harping on them is because they're disappointed. In reality, we should be disappointed with pretty much everyone's performance this year. You can point to the aging of Hank and Datsyuk, but Hank and Datsyuk shouldn't be propping up the offense of literally an entire roster. When only 1 veteran player on your roster who has played out the season has improved (both based on the eye test and statistically), then the problem is endemic.
Players producing less than last year:
Datsyuk - 1.03 > 78
Hank - 86 > 68
Tatar - 68 > 56
Nyquist - 66 > 53
Abby - 62 > 53
Richards - 49 > 41
Green - 63 > 40
Kronwall - 55 > 38
DD - 39 > 30
Helm - 44 > 29
Sheahan - 46 > 22
Jurco - 29 > 17
Kindl - 37 > 24
Andy - 12 > 11
Miller - 16 > 7
Ericsson - 0.18 (same)
Glen - 0.22 (same)
Outliers:
Quincey - 25 < 32 (full year vs. 25 games)
Pulkinnen (both seasons of 31 games) - 26 < 39
Smith - 17 < 25