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Tuesday 10 February 2015

Falling off the map

The Montreal Canadiens came from behind to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 last night at the Bell Centre. 

Watching the Flyers up close, it's sad to see Vincent Lecavalier logging time on the third or fourth and looking like a shadow of his former self. 

Philadelphia looks the fool for giving him a five year, 22.5 million dollar contract just two years ago. 

The thing is, Lecavalier isn't the only player to fall off the map, quickly and rapidly. 

Here are the top five players still active that just don't have it anymore. 

5. Dany Heatley:

At one point a 50-goal scorer and one of the most lethal shooters in the league. Now 34-years-old, Heatley has played in only six NHL games this season, while playing most of his season with Norfolk of the AHL. 


4. Scott Gomez:

Everyone in Montreal still cringes when they hear the name. Gomez, a former rookie of the year and 2-time Stanley Cup Champions has found a resurgence of sorts back in New Jersey. But after the massive contract in New York, Gomez's skill set decreased rapidly to the point where in Montreal people were counting the days since his last goal. 

3. David Clarkson: 


Clarkson is on the list, but I don't know if he was ever "good." His best season came in 2011-12, when he scored 30-goals for the New Jersey Devils. The Leafs broke the bank and gave Clarkson a 7-year, 36 million dollar contract. He has 10-goals on the year and has been a healthy scratch for the past two games. 



2. Vincent Lecavalier: 

It's amazing to think that teams lined up to offer Vincent Lecavalier a contract after he was bought out by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He's got seven goals on the year and has been been a healthy scratch on numerous occasions by coach Craig Berube. It's a long way from when he was one of the best players in the NHL.



1. Alex Semin:Nobody knows what happened to this guy. Got a contract and lost his desire to compete? Semin with the Carolina Hurricanes has been an absolute disaster and isn't even comparable to the other guys on the list. Five years ago, Semin scored 40-goals for the Washington Capitals. Just two goals this season and he's been a healthy scratch quite often. Semin signed a five-year contract extension worth $35 million



1 comment:

  1. You left Mike Richards off that list. He signed a long term contract and was sent to the minors. At least the top 4 on the list are still in the NHL.

    As for Semin, he injured his wrist last season. Still got 20+ goals last year but had surgery in off season and the recovery time set back his training. He already had problems with wrist tendonitis but last year's injury caused a pretty dire situation with the wrist.

    Still, the demise of both Semin & Richards saddens me. Richards born the same month as my 1st child and Semin the guy close to my 1st child's age who made it to NHL (and is in many ways similar to my 1st child).

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