Datsyuk Still Has Plenty of Game

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.  Pavel Datsyuk is not in the bag based on his 2 points over the first 5 games and 29-30+ year olds can still be top-10 scorers in the NHL.  It’s not just the Crosby-Malkin-Ovechkin show.  Consider last season’s final statistics.  The 29+ year olds found in the top 10 include:

• Pavel Datsyuk, 97 points
• Jarome Iginla, 89
• Marc Savard, 88
• Joe Thornton, 86

Those are some pretty good scorers.  When Daniel Alfredsson was 32 he put up 103 points, he only dropped down to 89 points at 34.  Marty St. Louis’ 102 point season came when he was 30.  Jarome Iginla has posted 89+ points in the 3 seasons AFTER he turned 30.

The basic point I’m trying to prove here is that all is not lost if you own Datsyuk and while losing Hossa as a winger might hurt his point totals, remember that he also scored 97 points the year before… WITHOUT Hossa.  Because Zetterberg and Datsyuk have reached ages 29/31 doesn’t mean we’re going to see a rapid decline in point production from either of them.  Obviously it’s better to be younger in the NHL and players have more upside in their early 20s but Datsyuk has shown he is still one of the most prolific scorers in the game and you can still count on him to pull through for your fantasy squad.  You might even be able to get him low off of a disgruntled owner but if you sell low, you’re a sucker.

Datsyuk is probable to return to the lineup tonight for the Wings after missing the past two games with an upper-body injury.  He’s been skating on a line with Zetterberg and Holmstrom in practice.