Next Up: 10 Athletes Replacing Stars
At a certain point, an athlete's career starts to dwindle. Father Time comes crashing through the front door and he brings deteriorated skill sets and tired legs with him.
But as one star fades, another rises. The circle of life in sports. Analyzing this proverbial changing of the guard has brought 10 names to the forefront. These are athletes who currently are in the midst of replacing stars. Whether they succeed or not remains to be seen.
Leaping across all walks of sports, let's use statistics to build out this list of 10 athletes set to to replace this current ailing crop of sports stars.
Frans Nielsen
1 of 10
Who: Frans Nielsen
Replacing: Pavel Datsyuk
Finding a way to replace the production of Pavel Datsyuk wasn't going to easy for the Detroit Red Wings. The longtime center spent his entire career in a Red Wings uniform, lacing 314 career goals and 604 assists.
When Datsyuk chose to return to Russia after the 2015-16 season, the Red Wings had to scramble and make up for his production. Management turned to 32-year-old Frans Nielsen.
Nielsen has been around the rink for what feels like a lifetime. He spent 10 years with the New York Islanders, totaling 349 career points and earning himself an assistant captain's role.
Expectations were set high from the get-go. "Frans Nielsen was somebody that we thought was real important, losing Pavel, to get a real quality centerman," Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill mentioned, per NHL.com.
Whether he can live up to this billing has yet to be answered. The NHL's 2016-17 season is young. What we can comprehend is this veteran center has been tasked with replacing a star, and that's never easy.
Hunter Henry
2 of 10
Who: Hunter Henry
Replacing: Antonio Gates
Today, Antonio Gates ranks No. 24 on the NFL's all-time receptions list. The 36-year-old tight end has spent 14 seasons with the San Diego Chargers, becoming one of the greats at the position.
His lofty frame, expansive catch radius and sensational route-running ability has continued to help the Chargers' offense, even as age catches up with him.
Before the start of the 2016 season, the Chargers drafted his replacement, Hunter Henry, in the second round of the draft. Henry has quickly emerged as a pivotal weapon and a perfect complement to Gates. At 6'5" he gives Philip Rivers a downfield threat—similar to Gates.
Henry isn't quite the athlete Gates was, but he's reliable and has a gift for creating separation. Before he was drafted, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compared him to Jason Witten, calling him "the premier tight end in the 2016 draft."
The process to replace Gates has been more of a slow burn. The veteran still looks like the main pass-catching threat, despite Henry ranking third in team receiving yards and first in touchdown catches. Gates' 16 targets over the last two weeks have trumped Henry's 11.
No matter how long it takes, it's good news for Chargers fans that this team has found a capable replacement. Henry looks like the real deal, and San Diego's front office has to be grateful he's on the roster.
D'Angelo Russell
3 of 10
Who: D'Angelo Russell
Replacing: Kobe Bryant
D'Angelo Russell was selected No. 2 overall in the 2015 NBA draft to replace Kobe Bryant. Don't let anyone tell you differently. The Lakers' decided he was the guy they wanted to lead this franchise into the future.
The 6'5", multi-faceted guard spent his rookie season learning the ropes, while all of the attention was directed toward Bryant. In 48 starts, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. His player efficiency rating of 13.22 was lowly but not the end of the world.
Year 2 for Russell should be different. It has to be different. Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times talked about how Russell's aspiration to be great has served as motivation heading into the 2016-17 season.
Even if the Lakers struggle in the win-loss column, Russell's development will be the main takeaway this season. With Kobe Bryant now off to the land of retirement, the Lakers' future hinges on this young man from Ohio State—no disrespect to Brandon Ingram.
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Trevor Siemian
4 of 10
Who: Trevor Siemian
Replacing: Peyton Manning
Two years ago, would you have guessed Trevor Siemian would be tasked with replacing Peyton Manning? The safe money would have been to bet on Brock Osweiler.
Osweiler spent four years in Denver, backing up and learning from Manning. Last season, he was even called on to replace the Sheriff, starting seven games and helping his team procure a 5-2 record.
When Manning called it career, riding off into the sunset with a Super Bowl ring, Osweiler had a chance to take over. Instead, he chose to sign a four-year, $72 million deal with the Houston Texans.
The Broncos turned to Siemian during the preseason after drafting Paxton Lynch in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft.
As a former seventh-round pick—in 2015—Siemian was tasked with being the first guy to try and replace Manning for a full season. So far, he's thrown for 1,211 yards and eight touchdowns in six games, completing 64.9 percent of his passes.
Lynch could end up as the long-term quarterback in Denver, but he's going to have to develop and mature. For the interim, we have Siemian. And he has the pressure of following in Manning's heavy footsteps.
Matt Murray
5 of 10
Who: Matt Murray
Replacing: Marc-Andre Fleury
The Pittsburgh Penguins rewarded Matt Murray's outstanding postseason play with a three-year deal, which will pay him around $3.75 million annually, according to Jason Mackey and Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. On the heels of this contract, the anecdote in Pittsburgh has shifted back to Murray replacing Marc-Andre Fleury.
Fleury remains part of the Penguins' plan. "General manager Jim Rutherford either couldn't trade Fleury or didn't try to—depending on who you believe—and opted instead to go into this season with two goaltenders," Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explained.
Long-term, Murray taking over looks like it's only a matter of time. At 22 years old, he's nine years younger than Fleury, and his recent Stanley Cup performance is something management clearly appreciated.
Whether it's by trade or Fleury leaving on his own, Murray's in a good position to replace this superstar net-minder.
Dak Prescott
6 of 10
Who: Dak Prescott
Replacing: Tony Romo
The elephant in this slideshow is the situation going on in Dallas. Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has lead the Cowboys to a 5-1 record, stepping in for an injured Tony Romo.
Prescott has maintained control of this offense. A 68.7 percent completion rate, 1,486 yards passing and seven touchdowns have been impressive. When you think about how Dez Bryant has only suited up for three games, the total becomes even more enamoring.
Romo's eventual return to the lineup could push Prescott to the bench. "What started as almost a humorous what-if at the start of the season—based on how well Prescott played in the preseason—has become the most important issue Jason Garrett must sort through in his tenure as Cowboys coach," ESPN.com's Todd Archer penned.
Even if Romo winds up getting his job back, all signs point to Prescott being the eventual successor. He's been fantastic for the Cowboys and this team has rallied around him.
Victor Oladipo
7 of 10
Who: Victor Oladipo
Replacing: Kevin Durant
Russell Westbrook is going to need someone to step up and try to replace Kevin Durant's production now that he's off playing with the Golden State Warriors. Can Victor Oladipo be that guy?
In three seasons of action with the Orlando Magic, Oladipo has shown he can score the ball. A career average of 15.9 points per game reflects that line of thinking.
The downfall here is he hasn't been able to make a leap into the coveted superstar category. And if you want to replace KD, that has to be priority No. 1.
Thankfully he will be playing alongside Westbrook. Westbrook and Oladipo can use their superior sense of athleticism to guide this offense, working from the point and shooting guard positions.
We know replacing Durant is almost impossible. Oladipo's biggest hope will be attempting to somewhat replicate his offensive production in 2016.
Jimmy Garoppolo
8 of 10
Who: Jimmy Garoppolo
Replacing: Tom Brady
This one isn't happening quite yet but from what we can all gather, Jimmy Garoppolo is on his way to replacing Tom Brady as the future of the New England Patriots.
Garoppolo got his first taste of live-game action during Brady's four-game suspension. Filling in twice—he got hurt after two starts—Garoppolo completed 70 percent of his passes for 496 yards and four touchdowns.
He showcased all of the signs you'd want in an everyday starter. A compact delivery, excellent timing with his wide receivers and a feel for making plays inside the pocket.
We know he won't replace Brady until No. 12 decides it's time. At least Patriots fans can take a shred of solace in the fact Garoppolo looked sharp, despite his limited sample size.
Greg Bird
9 of 10
Who: Greg Bird
Replacing: Mark Teixeira
Nothing is given in sports, which means Greg Bird isn't going to automatically replace veteran Mark Teixeira at first base for the New York Yankees.
ESPN.com's John Silver talked about this situation in August 2016 and explained why Bird isn't a lock to take over, leaning on free agency and Tyler Austin's emergence: "One thing is clear—Bird is going to have to earn the job to replace Texeira, who manned the position for eight years."
With all of this information being filed for 2017, we do know Bird has shown promise in limited action. Bird's 178 plate appearances turned into 11 home runs and 31 RBI. There is pop in that bat, and the Yankees have historically leaned on power-hitting first basemen to carry them—look at Jason Giambi and Tino Martinez.
If he gets the job next year, Bird will have to step up and replace a star in Teixeira. His sturdy production in pinstripes turned into 206 home runs and 622 RBI over eight compelling years.
AJ Styles
10 of 10
Who: AJ Styles
Replacing: John Cena
You could make a case for a couple of guys on the current WWE roster stepping up and carrying the New Era of wrestling into the future. Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens all have a shot to do just that.
However, AJ Styles is looking more and more like the current replacement for John Cena. Not only is he WWE Champion, but Styles has feuded with Cena and successfully taken him down—a rarity in today's WWE.
It makes complete sense from a wholistic approach. Styles is an outstanding in-ring worker, plays a fantastic heel—the role of a bad guy—and has all the tools needed to put on five-star feuds and matches.
The one pitfall here is his age. Styles is 39 years old—the same age as Cena. Usually you think younger guys are bound to take over. WWE is a little different. Longevity can be protected by smart management and booking decisions.
In any event, Styles has replaced Cena as the face of the SmackDown brand. How long he keeps that position remains fluid.
All stats, box scores and information via Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
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