Carving out a long career in the NHL is an extremely demanding feat, making milestones like 1,000 games played one of the most admirable marks a player can accomplish. As some players near the end of their career, even if they still have the desire and physical capacity to play, there comes a time when the market makes the decision that a player's career will come to and end.
Alex Edler, the longtime NHL veteran who spent most of his career with the Canucks, is finding himself looking at forced retirement. According to Jeff Paterson of The Hockey News, Edler is actively searching for a new deal, but he's seen no interest from any teams in the NHL, not even for a professional tryout.
Edler, now 37 years old, has played in the NHL for an impressive 17 seasons, and all but two of those years were with the Vancouver Canucks. Last season with the Los Angeles Kings, he played in 64 games, only scoring 2 goals and 11 total points.
Edler's reputation through his time in the league has been primarily as a shutdown, physical defenceman. Given his previous successes in the league, it's hard to believe no team is willing to take a chance on the veteran. Even in his age 37 season with the LA Kings, Edler still proved to be a useful player.
It's clear Edler still has the will and ability to continue his career, but with NHL camps right around the corner, he's got a very short amount of time left to get an opportunity.
