Once an established NHL player creeps into his prime, his career path confronts a bit of a three-tined fork where the ensuing seasons test the expectations set by his early years:
1. First, his production, role, and impact can peak as he embodies every fantasized hope flung by fans on his draft day, continuing to climb.
2. Or, he can alternatively plateau and simply maintain the same respectable rates and patterns he posted as a youngster.
3. But, tragically, folks can also witness a player’s output and stock plummet in his mid-to-late 20s as he fails to recapture any of the previous promising success he found early.