Hockey can be a cruel sport. It’s tough on the body, ever-evolving, and fast-paced. If you’re not careful it can very quickly pass you by and leave you in the dust before you ever even really know what happened. The sport waits for no man and once it passes you up you’re going to have a tough time trying to catch up.
So enjoy your time at the top of the hill while you can because it won’t last forever. Sometimes it’s gradual, and sometimes it steamrolls right over you. These are ten NHL forwards who went from superstars to forgettable overnight.
10. Patrick Kane
Patrick Kane for a long time was one of the best offensive forwards in the sport. Partly due to his own incredible offensive skills, but also partly due to the absolutely stacked team he had around him. However, Kane was his own worst enemy. His own arrogance and sometimes selfish style of play often rubbed fans the wrong way, so when the opportunity came to throw him under the bus they did. In 2015 Kane was accused of sexually assaulting a woman.
While nothing became of the case and it was in fact dropped, fans latched onto that and began throwing hate Kane’s way. Kane’s popularity never really recovered and once the Blackhawks fell out of playoff contention he was quickly forgotten. He wasn’t even signed to a team until midway through this season.
9. Zach Parise
In 2012 Parise was on top of the world. He came up short of a Stanley Cup but was now one of the most sought-after free agents in the league. Offer after offer came to his door begging him to sign with them and give them his services. Eventually, it was Minnesota that won the lottery, signing Parise to a 13-year, 98 million-dollar contract. This was the beginning of the end for Parise. Since signing to Minnesota, Parise’s play dropped significantly year after year.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NHL stories via Google! Follow Us
He failed to bring to Minnesota the tools that were promised and eventually, with four years left on his contract, Minnesota had no choice but to buy him out. Parise would then play a year for the Islanders before falling into free agency, drifting around contemplating his future. Colorado eventually picked him up this season, but any long-term roster spot is no guarantee.
8. Evgeny Kuznetzov
Kuznetzov stormed onto the scene in Washington in the 2013-14 season. He very quickly announced his presence as a force to be reckoned with, being one of the best stick handlers and passers in the league. On this high-powered Washington offense, Kuznetzov was on top of the world. Eventually, cracks would start to show, however. In 2019, Kuznetzov would be suspended for the use of cocaine.
Despite returning very quickly, he would need assistance for his drug problem. Since then, Kuznetsov’s locker room presence faltered a bit. The offensive production still seemed there, but he didn’t seem like the leader he once was. Once again, drug problems reared its ugly head as earlier this year Kuznetzov would be entered into the Player Assistance Program. He was then waived by Washington, and subsequently traded to Carolina.
7. Corey Perry
Perry for a very long time was an offensive powerhouse on the Ducks. Despite not being well-liked by anyone outside of the Ducks fanbase, he made quite the name for himself in Anaheim. Eventually, he parted ways with the Ducks, however. The reason why is quite simple. His ability to score seemingly disappeared overnight. Followed by some brief stints in Montreal and Tampa Bay, Perry never really was able to recapture that scoring touch, despite winning a Cup in Tampa.
Then he found himself in Chicago and netted in controversy. After only sixteen games with the Blackhawks, Perry would be released after an undisclosed incident. He would be signed by Edmonton, but it’s safe to say his name has faded into obscurity a bit.
6. Tyler Johnson
There was a time when Johnson seemed like the next big thing in Tampa Bay. Quickly rising to popularity in Florida, Johnson seemed comfortable playing his role. However, all good things come to an end and eventually, Johnson parted ways with Tampa to head to Chicago. Since joining the Blackhawks Johnson has done a whole lot of nothing.
Despite being one of Chicago’s top producers, many people have forgotten Johnson even still exists in the NHL. That may be due in part to Chicago not being very good, but Johnson certainly has struggled to maintain a name for himself outside of Florida.
5. Jeff Carter
Carter has had an interesting NHL career. After being a strong player on the Flyers for many years he was dealt to Columbus in a deal he very vocally despised. After underperforming and being quite frankly kind of a jerk, Carter was granted a trade to LA where he just… exploded. Carter would become one of LA’s top offensive producers and win two Cups with the team, eventually wearing the A on his jersey as well.
Then just as fast as he arrived, Carter disappeared. After the 2016-17 season, Carter’s numbers began steadily declining and eventually, he was shipped to Pittsburgh, where his numbers have continued to decline. Carter has faded into a depth role in Pittsburgh as he enters the twilight of his career.
4. Matt Read
Sean Couturier and Matt Read entered the league in 2011 with a lot of hype surrounding them. For the most part, they lived up to that hype, with Read quickly becoming a fan favorite in Philly. A solid two-way forward, Read put up respectable numbers until one day he just… didn’t. In the 2017-18 season, Read would only play nineteen games and only bank one point in that time.
He would then enter free agency where he was signed by Minnesota, but would only play twelve games with them, once again only managing one point. Read would then fall out of the NHL, eventually retiring, but the decline in itself seemingly came out of nowhere.
3. Jason Spezza
Spezza is an Ottawa legend and for a very good reason. The man put up numbers in his time there. In his 11 seasons in Ottawa, he scored under 50 points only two times. When he moved to Dallas he put up similar numbers, at least for the first couple of years. Then he seemingly just vanished. In reality, he moved to Toronto, but his name had dropped out of the headlines due to his production dropping like a rock.
To his credit, age catches up to all of us, but man it hit him really hard really fast. He would eventually retire after three seasons in Toronto, where he never once scored over thirty points.
2. James Neal
Neal has been a solid player for most of his career, really making a name for himself in Pittsburgh. While some of that name involves some rather dirty plays, some it also includes his stellar play with the black and gold. When he moved to Nashville, he continued to put up decent numbers and assumed a leadership role inside the squad. After that, however, he dropped off the face of the earth.
For the next few years, Neal would bounce around from team to team, seeing his production and play time take a hit each passing year. Eventually, after the 2021-22 NHL season, where he only played 19 games, Neal became a free agent and was just never signed. He still hasn’t officially announced his retirement.
1. Johnny Gaudreau
To Johnny Hockey’s credit, he still has time to pull this one back. However, since moving to Columbus he has not been having a very fun time. In Calgary, Gaudreau was the star of the show, lighting up goalposts and leading his team to multiple postseason appearances. After many seasons in Calgary, Gaudreau shocked everyone by signing a massive contract in Columbus.
His reasoning behind leaving Calgary was that he wanted to win games. He’s done everything but since moving and his production has taken a massive hit as well. He still has time to turn it around but considering how ugly it is in Columbus and how big his contract is, it’s not looking good.
