The 2025-26 season has seen an influx of youth, with guys like Macklin Celebrini, Cutter Gauthier, and Jesper Wallstedt looking like legitimate veterans of the game. However, there are still some ageless wonders as well.
For some skaters and goaltenders, Father Time has given them a pass. For most athletes, regardless of the sport, they start contemplating retirement at the age of 35. However, some NHL skaters still look like they’re in their prime at that age. Here are the first and second teams of the best players who have staved off old age.
First-Team Left Wing: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Ovechkin can be argued as the greatest scorer the NHL has ever seen. He passed Wayne Gretzky’s record for most goals all time by a single player last season, and this season, he’s looking to be the first NHL player to reach 1,000 goals.
This awAON showed he could very well do it a hw has 31 goals and 30 assists through 78 games. The Washington Capitals have taken a step back from last season, but thanks to his efforts, they’re still in the thick of the playoff race. He’s still the team’s leading scorer despite the influx of younger players, such as Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael, and Ryan Leonard.
His NHL career is uncertain after this season as he’s on the last year of his deal. However, he still probably has enough in the tank to reach the 1,000-goal mark. Capitals fans are holding their breath hoping he comes back to do that.
Second-Team Left Wing: Steven Stamkos, Nashville Predators
Stamkos falls just one point short of being on the O-35 first team. However, his surprising season cannot be overlooked.
After a forgettable first season with the Nashville Predators, Stamkos showed that he’s still got his goal-scoring chops. He’s potted 38 goals in 76 games, which is a goal every other game. He’s not only the leader of his team, but he’s just one short of being top 10 in the NHL in goals this season.
His amazing play has helped the Nashville Predators make a surprise push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
First-Team Center: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
The center spot goes to Crosby once again. On Sunday, April 6, Crosby clinched his 21st-straight season with over a point per game, and he has 29 goals and 43 assists through 66 games. He also just recently passed Steve Yzerman for seventh in all-time points (1,756).
Crosby is the “GOAT” of the 21st century, and he continues to prove it with his insane longevity. Better than that, his play has guided the Pittsburgh Penguins to a playoff spot. They’re currently second in the Metropolitan Division, with a new head coach too in Dan Muse.
Second-Team Center: John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs
Don’t let the Toronto Maple Leafs’ disastrous season overshadow John Tavares’ contributions. The 35-year-old has recorded 30 goals and 38 assists through 77 games this season, and he’s had more than 25 goals in 14 of his 17 NHL seasons.
It’s crazy that he is second on the team in points behind William Nylander, even considering Auston Matthews had his season end prematurely. Tavares came back to the Maple Leafs on a cheap deal (four-year, $17.56 million) after his contract expired last offseason. He’s proving to be a bargain at the cap hit, and it might be the smartest move of now-formal general manager Brad Treliving’s short tenure with the Maple Leafs.
Related: 3 Surprising GM Candidates for the Maple Leafs
Crosby’s teammate Evgeni Malkin deserves some love, too. He’s had 59 points through 54 games with a plus-12 rating. However, injuries and a suspension have cut his impact a tad short of Tavares’.
First-Team Right Wing: Patrick Kane, Detroit Red Wings
If you were to tell a Chicago Blackhawks fan in the 2010s that Patrick Kane would find himself on the Detroit Red Wings at any point, they’d probably jeer at you. Well, that’s exactly where Kane ended up in 2023-24, and while he isn’t prime Kane anymore, he’s still a nasty goal scorer.
This season, he has just 15 goals but also 37 assists through 62 games, so he’s been more of a playmaker. Still, he’s helped the Red Wings to be a near-playoff team.
They were at the top of the Atlantic Division at the beginning of the season, but a rough March (5-7-2) leaves them on the outside of the playoff line leaves them on the outside looking in. A bad Kane penalty hurt them in their recent 5-4 loss against the Minnesota Wild.
Second-Team Right Wing: Jordan Eberle, Seattle Kraken
The 35-year-old right winger deserves some love for his season, too. He has 24 goals and 28 assists through 73 games, and he is the leading scorer for a disappointing Seattle Kraken offence.
Part of that has to do with Jared McCann’s injury-riddled season, but Eberle’s gotten more out of Matty Beniers this season too. The Kraken were above the playoff line in the Western Conference for a big portion of the season, and while the goaltending was the main reason, Eberle deserves some credit too.
First Team Left Defense: Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
Who would’ve thought the veterans in Nashville would lead them to a potential playoff berth? While Stamkos’ career renaissance has been awesome, Roman Josi has been a consistent force on the blue line.
This season, he has 12 goals and 39 assists through 64 games, more points than Adam Fox (50) and Noah Dobson (46) have this season. Josi might be the best player in team history, and it’s great that Predators fans will get to see him for a few more years.
Second-Team Left Defense: Matthias Ekholm, Edmonton Oilers
Josi’s former teammate, Matthias Ekholm, makes this list as well. Admittedly, there are slim pickings for left-shot defenseman 35 or older, but Ekholm is another extremely consistent player. He’s had more than 30 points in all but one (2020-21) of the past eight seasons, and he’s had a positive plus/minus in all but one (2019-20) of the past eight seasons.
With Edmonton, he’s still the number-one left-shot defenseman on a quietly-stacked defensive core. It says something that after the Oilers acquired Ekholm at the 2023 Trade Deadline, they have made the Stanley Cup Final two seasons in a row.
First-Team Right Defense: Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are being carried to the playoffs by old men. Crosby and Malkin are playing to their standard, but Karlsson reaching his prime form again was a surprise.
Karlsson has 14 goals and 50 points through 73 games. Outside of his Norris Trophy 2022-23, Karlsson hadn’t even reached over 60 points since 2017-18. He did this season while reaching the highest plus/minus (plus-10) he’s had since the 2016-17 season.
His Penguins will more than likely make the playoffs, so Karlsson will get his first chance at postseason hockey since 2019.
Second-Team Right Defense: John Carlson, Anaheim Ducks
Rounding out the skaters is another right-shot defenseman from the Pacific Division named “Carlson”. John Carlson was the best player traded in the 2026 Trade Deadline, and he’s shined with the Anaheim Ducks.
Between the Capitals and Ducks, he’s had 11 goals and 44 assists this season. Carlson has been a much-needed veteran presence in a young defensive core that includes Oren Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov, and he and Jacob Trouba have stabilized the Ducks’ right side.
First-Team Goalie: Jake Allen, New Jersey Devils
There are slim pickings for the goalie spot, so Jake Allen gets the nod. That’s not to discredit Allen’s 2025-26 season; he’s been a quality goaltender for the Devils while his teammate Jacob Markstrom has floundered.
Allen has maintained a .905 save percentage (SV%) and 2.70 goals against average (GAA). Advanced analytics show him in a good light, with Allen boasting a plus-8.5 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA). However, he has a 16-16-2 record, showing that the Devils could support him a tad more in his starts.
Second-Team Goalie: Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings
Kuemper has been a below-average goaltender this season. With the Kings, he has just a .892 SV% and 2.76 GAA, while his GSAA is a minus-4.0.
His record is a rough 19-14-14 on the season, too, and his 14 overtime losses are the most in the league by three, with Connor Hellebuyck having the second-most at 11. However, he’s done enough in regulation to keep the Kings in the playoff race. The Kings are full of grizzled veteran stars, with Drew Doughty, Artemi Panarin, and Anze Kopitar, who’s on his retirement tour this season.
Full First and Second Teams
First-Team:
Forwards:
Alex Ovechkin-Sidney Crosby-Patrick Kane
Defensemen:
Roman Josi-Erik Karlsson
Goaltender:
Jake Allen
Second-Team:
Forwards:
Steven Stamkos-John Tavares-Jordan Eberle
Defenseman:
Matthias Ekholm-John Carlson
Goaltender:
Darcy Kuemper
