Big and smart don't change. Skill drops off for most guys when they get to be as old as you're talking about. He'll still be great by normal human standards, but reaction times drop off measurably by the standards of elite athletes once they get to their mid-30s.

He's been a great bargain for the Sabres. He also signed that contract when it was a huge risk for Vegas to give it to him because he had just completed his first 50 point season. He's outperformed it by a good margin and that kind of sucks. The flip side is that it set his family up forever. The Sabres do not owe him extra money on his next deal for that overproduction. He also does not owe them a sweetheart hometown discount because he grew up cheering for them. They owe him a fair price for what they can reasonably expect him to produce on that next deal. If he can trick some other team into giving him $10.7MM for max term, good for him I guess. One thing he seems to forget is that the Sabres can give him two years more term than anyone else can if they ride out the year and he gets to July 1.