from Patrick Kearns of The Guardian,

Defensemen of a certain age in the NHL drop off a cliff. There are some extreme outliers, but for the most part, deals for defensemen over 30 don’t tend to work out. That hasn’t stopped even the most heralded general managers for paying for past performance and holding on a little too long.

There’s no expiration date on the body of an NHL defenseman, but it’s certainly a different game for them than it is for forwards. Wade Redden, a 15-year veteran of the NHL, knows the toll the game can take on your body. He was a top-pairing, minute-eating defenseman with Ottawa who parlayed that success into a mega contract with the New York Rangers at 30. Two seasons later, he was playing in the American Hockey League after an unceremonious demotion.

Redden is obviously an extreme case of someone’s body letting them down, but you see it often. Forwards can play later into their 30s, while defenseman begin to deteriorate. Redden pointed to a few things, including the physical aspects of the sports, as reasons for corrosion of skills.

“I guess the one thing that defenseman are more prone to is just getting hit on the forecheck,” Redden said. “You’re forced back, and you always got to get to the puck first, and it usually results in getting hit more. So I know personally that was the case.”

Redden said that for some of the top defensemen, logging big minutes can also inhibit their longevity.

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