3 Players Who Are Defying the Aging Curve This NHL Season

A few players are refusing to let their age prevent them from making a difference in the NHL.

Though there are always exceptions to the rule, most NHL players start to decline before they hit the age of 30. Due to the immense wear and tear that these athletes go through over the years, most of them start to see their abilities regress until they retire. It’s a sad reality, but that’s just how the human body tends to work.

These three players apparently didn’t get that memo, though. How are they defying the aging curve?

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Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

Though a soon-to-be 33-year-old may not seem that old in NHL terms, Artemi Panarin’s production for his age has been matched by very few players in the league’s history. The New York Rangers have themselves a player who cannot be deterred by Father Time, and it might just be their ticket to a championship.

For some context, let’s look at last season. In 2023-24, Panarin scored 49 goals and 71 assists for a jaw-dropping 120 points in 82 contests. Over the course of NHL history, only four other players have scored that many points at the age of 32 or older: Wayne Gretzky (130), Phil Esposito (127), Marcel Dionne (126), and Jaromir Jagr (123). Joining a group that includes some of the greatest players to ever play in the league, this accomplishment cannot be understated.

This season, Panarin is pulling the same stunt. With a league-leading 12 points (six goals, six assists), he could join Dionne and Jagr as the only two players with 120 points at the age of 33 or older. Considering the fact that nobody has ever put up that many points at 34 years old, even the best superstars in the league’s history hit a wall at some point. But for the “Breadman”, that regression hasn’t shown in the slightest. Up there with some of the NHL’s all-time most iconic ageless wonders, he should be recognized.

Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Panarin, who has two years left on his $11.64 million cap-hit contract, will be essential to the Rangers’ success this season and in the future. Starting out with a 4-0-1 record, they are following a Presidents’ Trophy win with a campaign that seems poised to reach those heights again. The Russian winger has helped New York emerge as one of the league’s best offenses, possessing superior skill, passing ability, and intellect. Doing well in the regular season is obviously important, but a Stanley Cup is certainly the goal for this club—they have seen two defeats in the Eastern Conference Final in the past three seasons (2022, 2024).

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Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

We have a pretty good idea that Panarin’s excellent start is sustainable because it’s more of the same for him, but Russian center Evgeni Malkin is a complete mystery. Chasing several milestones in October including 500 goals, 800 assists, and 1,300 points, he hit all of them by the month’s midway point—the 38-year-old is on fire.