OPINION

By Ray Slover

updated 10:28 p.m. ET July 19, 2007

Ray Slover

Some people just don't know when to quit. That can be a good thing, because tenacity is an admirable quality.

But in the case of Eric Lindros, retirement shouldn't be a consideration. It should be a priority.

At 34, Lindros leads the NHL in one category: unrealized expectations. Injuries are a primary reason, but his billing as the "next one" will never be fulfilled.

Here's what Lindros told the Canadian Press on Wednesday: "The last couple of years have been pretty frustrating in terms of not getting through without being injury-free. . . . It's just frustrating."

It didn't take Scott Stevens knocking him loopy to bring Lindros to this point. The good news for Lindros is that he made it through last season with the Stars without another concussion. The bad news is, other body parts continue to fail him.

It was his groin that cost him 20 games in 2006-07. He did play in 49 games for the Stars, an improvement over the 33 he played with the Leafs in 2005-06 and the 39 he played with the Rangers in 2003-04.

If you saw Lindros play last season, you saw like of the player he was at his best. During most shifts he stayed away from high-traffic areas. He showed few of the skills that made him so dangerous early in his career. He was a shell of Eric Lindros, center of the Flyers' Legion of Doom line.

And in case you forgot, Lindros was the Hart Trophy winner for the abbreviated 1994-95 season and had 100 points in '95-96. In his MVP season, Lindros had 29 goals and 41 assists in 46 games.

He had five goals and 21 assists last season.

Second opinion of Lindros? Try this one from Wes Goldstein of Sportsline.com:

"These days it's hard to imagine Lindros was once one of the most hyped players to enter the NHL, because a series of concussions and injuries have hampered his career so much over his 13 seasons. Obviously he's not the force he was when he broke in, but Lindros can still be an imposing and productive presence -- when he stays healthy. He's a risk, but if he takes less than the $2.5 million he got from Dallas last season, he might be worth it."

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Does anybody want to take that risk in this salary-cap era? Early suggestions had the Red Wings among potential suitors, but would the Wings want Lindros or Michael Peca? Lindros or Alexei Yashin? Lindros or Peter Forsberg?

For that matter, Jason Allison would be a healthier alternative than Lindros if the Wings are looking for a big forward to play in high-traffic areas. One can debate whether Allison or Lindros is more injury prone.

So here's one man's suggestion to Lindros: Retire.

Lindros is an unrestricted free agent, and teams are not expressing interest. He is working with the NHLPA. And he told the CP:

"I've got an idea of what I'm going to do, and I've had that idea ever since the last game of the playoffs," Lindros said. "But right now is about focusing on the 'PA."

That should remain his focus. Forget about playing; it's time to move on.

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