A common refrain in hockey barroom debates is the idea that Superstar X from a previous era would barely keep up with the modern NHL game.
That’s true for the majority of players, no doubt. But there have to be some exceptions.
So, Roundtable, here is your challenge:
You can bring back one retired player in his prime and drop him into the current era hoping he’ll flourish. Whom do you pick and why? He must have retired at least 10 years ago to qualify.
(No Jaromir Jagr allowed; he’s not retired…)
MATT LARKIN: I choose Sergei Fedorov, who last played pro hockey in 2011-12 as a KHLer and played his final NHL season 16 years ago. He was one of the most breathtaking skaters of his day; he won the NHL’s fastest skater competition twice, and his time in his 1994 victory actually would’ve beaten the 2022 and 2023 winners. His hands were great even by modern standards. And in an era when teams use analytics in making their personnel decisions more than ever, Fedorov’s two-way game would be welcome. He won two Selke Trophies and is the only player to win the Hart and Selke in the same year. At 39 in his last NHL season, advanced stats were starting to percolate, and he posted a 5-on-5 on-ice shot attempt share north of 61 percent. He’d fit in just fine today. Actually, I think he’d still be elite.
STEVEN ELLIS: The fact that Mario Lemieux came back after missing a few seasons and still was an impact player makes me think he’s the right guy for this. The way he processes plays and how to exploit open ice has been matched by so few players in this day and age. Lemieux was one of the few players of his time to pull off creative plays that just about anyone can do today. But it always seemed like Super Mario was able to slow the game down to an absolute crawl before beating guys with his speed and hockey IQ, no matter the competition. He’s one of the greatest to ever do it for a reason, and most of that has to do with his brain.
PAUL PIDUTTI: Forgive me Roundtable, but as someone that *loves* and often writes about these types of debates, I’m going to make two picks. The first choice is the original archetype of the modern elite defenseman: Nicklas Lidstrom. Incredibly, it’s already been 12 years since he retired. A smooth, positionally sound genius, Lidstrom averaged only 27 PIMs per 82 games while outskating, outsmarting, and outmaneuvering multiple generations — he was top-six in Norris voting for 16 consecutive years. In today’s high-speed, puck-moving, disciplined NHL, Lidstrom would slay. My second choice is a pick for the goaltending union: Patrick Roy. Goalies from bygone eras often get picked on for their size, stats, or gear. But Roy was goaltending evolution in real-time. At 20, with a pencil neck and tiny leather pads, Roy won the Conn Smythe carrying the Habs to a Cup. At 27, with a now-global talent pool and his revolutionary butterfly style emerging, another Smythe. At 35, with goalies in massive gear and new stick technology, Roy won a third Smythe as an elder statesman. Both evolved so seamlessly in their own time, they’d surely thrive today.
SCOTT MAXWELL: There’s always a conversation about how players like Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are unicorns in the NHL, so it makes me wonder what a player like Eric Lindros would be like in today’s NHL. He has literally told me himself that there isn’t really a comparable to him in today’s game because of how different it is compared to when he played, and I think that would make him such a valuable commodity, especially as teams hyper-focus on physicality in the playoffs. Very few players have the combination of size and skill that he had, and I think he would thrive in today’s playoff environment. However, the more interesting way that I’d think Lindros would flourish is that it’s quite possible injuries aren’t as much of a problem. Think of how many concussions he got because the league was full of heavy (and yet borderline dirty) hitters and how poorly teams mismanaged the injuries at the time. Plop Lindros into today’s game, and I don’t think he gets nearly as many hits to the head as he does in the ’90s and ’00s, and teams actually let him take the time to heal from them if he wants to, and that allows him to play out his career at an elite level.
ANTHONY DI MARCO: I may be biased here because he was my favorite player growing up, but in an age where puck-moving defensemen have evolved so much, I’d love to see what Scott Niedermayer could’ve done in this era. So many former players that played with him often used the expression that “Hockey was too easy for him.” He made the game look effortless, smooth and quick, all while playing the lion’s share of his career in the Dead puck Era. I know we (justifiably) consider Lidstrom the greatest defenseman of that generation, but there was always something special about how Niedermayer played; he was a trailblazer for puck moving defensemen that set the tone for the modern generation. Oh, and he also won at every level, including four Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals and a Norris and Conn Smythe trophy. With a resume and reputation like that, it is hard not to imagine what Niedermayer could do in the modern era.
MATT LARKIN: All great, thoughtful picks. But also: holy crap, no one picked Pavel Bure?! Including me? If Paul gets two picks, so do I.
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