In a way, we’ve already done this before.
When the 2015 season ended, with the Chicago Blackhawks capturing a third Stanley Cup title that June, there was no denying it: the NHL’s salary cap was coming for Patrick Sharp. The math didn’t add up anymore, and the then-33-year-old Sharp was traded to the Dallas Stars in the offseason, ending a decade-long run with the Blackhawks.
But Sharp returned to the Hawks last summer and wrapped up his NHL career on Saturday night. A veteran of 939 NHL games, Sharp got video tributes at the United Center on Friday and in Winnipeg on Saturday.