NHL rookies that regress year after year like NBA Simmons + Kuzma

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
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Ostsee
Here's an interesting thought exercise: Name the best player you can think of for whom these criteria apply.

I'll start the bidding at Teemu Selanne, who set a blistering pace at 76 goals in his rookie season, never matched that pace again, and still put together a Hall of Fame career. His rookie peak was just that high.

Selänne peaked in Anaheim going into the dead-puck era, 1992/93 was just a high-scoring season in general.
 
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cudi

Mojo So Dope
Feb 2, 2020
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Petr Prucha was the first name that popped in my mind. Trent Hunter too.

After Andrej Meszaros' rookie season I thought he was gonna be really really good but that might have been his best NHL season. Never lived up to expectations after that imo
 
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Svechhammer

THIS is hockey?
Jun 8, 2017
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Closest comparison I can think of to Simmons is Jeff Skinner. Won Rookie of the Year, but had a major weakness to his game but he just didn't care to develop. For Simmons, its his jumper, for Skinner its forechecking and backchecking.

Skinner got traded for peanuts and the team that traded him got better for it. Would not be surprised if something similar happens with Philly and Simmons.
 

Panthaz89

Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Panthers fan
Dec 24, 2016
13,190
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Buffalo,NY
Closest comparison I can think of to Simmons is Jeff Skinner. Won Rookie of the Year, but had a major weakness to his game but he just didn't care to develop. For Simmons, its his jumper, for Skinner its forechecking and backchecking.

Skinner got traded for peanuts and the team that traded him got better for it. Would not be surprised if something similar happens with Philly and Simmons.
Skinner definitely puts effort into forechecking but backchecking forget about it
 
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Seattle Totems

Registered User
Apr 14, 2010
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Elias Pettersson was god like before he was injured in his first season in Montreal. Is not even close to the same player he was.
 

abo9

Registered User
Jun 25, 2017
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I'd say Eric Staal would be my pick, had it not been for his Minny stint. He was a 100 pts player in his 2nd year, 28 pts in 25 playoff games. Went ppg 2 years later and then his numbers just slowwwwly crept down until a weird 2-years resurgence in Minny and back to nothing right after.

Another one is Alex Galchenyuk. Granted his numbers increased for a while before peaking, but he peaked at 21 with very respectable/good numbers and now at 27 he's on his way out of the league...
 
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wintersej

HFBoards Sponsor
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Nov 26, 2011
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How about Joe Juneau? Selanne's main competition for ROY that year and got incrementally worse with each successive season.

Ken Hodge Jr. is another guy that comes to mind. 30 goal rookie season & made all-rookie team. Then couldn't even stick in the league.

Mason and RNH were also guys that came to mind.

Oh man. Joe Juneau. His "I played on a line that didn't try to play defense with Adam Oates at his peak" season was fun to watch!
 
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Canovin

1% is the new 11.5%
Oct 27, 2010
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No one as there's no NHL version of Kendal Jenner

You can form a dynasty based on her history of ex's
 

cudi

Mojo So Dope
Feb 2, 2020
8,023
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I don't watch the NBA, so I have no idea who or what you are talking about.

Congrats

star.jpg
 

Swervin81

Leaf fan | YYZ -> SEA
Nov 10, 2011
36,452
1,526
Seattle, WA
Mitch Marner certainly hasn't regressed in a way that Simmons has, but both of them are spitting images of each other. Supremely talented, amazing playmaking vision, capable of scoring decently, very good defensively. But in the playoffs, their fatal flaw (an inability to shoot to ball/puck) gets completely exploited and serves to undermine their entire offensive game and become a huge liability to the team around them. On top of that, they cave mentally at the slightest hint of adversity.
 
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