BUFFALO – At 39 years old, his role has transformed into a supporting one.

Twenty-one seasons into a Hall of Fame career, Mike Modano now skates about 12 minutes a night for the Dallas Stars, mostly on the fourth line.

The center, arguably the greatest American-born hockey player ever, is suffering through a nine-game goal drought. With only 13 tallies this season, he could set a career low.

Retirement, it appears, is weeks away. Modano could have only 16 games left following the Stars’ 5-3 loss to the Sabres on Wednesday.

“I’m constantly thinking about (retirement),” Modano said Wednesday afternoon inside HSBC Arena, just a few hundred feet from where he won his only Stanley Cup in 1999. “It’s right there looking at me.”

Looking around the visiting dressing room here for possibly the final time as a player flooded Modano with memories of the Stars’ Cup celebration.

“Just picturing everybody in here and visualizing where everybody was when we were done and how we were sitting,” he said. “As soon as you get in here, you remember that something unique happened. Just sitting here when it was all over was just a real self-fulfilling feeling you had, and real sense of relief and self-accomplishment.”

Modano, who has 556 goals and 1,354 points since 1989, said he plans to talk to some people following the season, see where he stands and make a decision about his future.

“A lot of things would have to work out in order to come back another year,” Modano said.

In the meantime, accepting his diminished role isn’t always easy.

“It’s a little bit of a tug-of-war at times,” Modano said. “Ultimately it comes down to having an opportunity to win and have some fun. Sometimes being that guy over the years you felt you always had a hand in the games contributing, having important minutes and being out there in key situations. Those situations have changed.”

Modano even lost his spot on Team USA this season, something he acknowledged was “tough.” The Vancouver Olympics marked the first time the Americans played a best-on-best tournament without Modano since the 1980s.

“I really thought I might’ve had an outside chance,” he said. “But I think after being in Chicago (at an Olympic camp in August) and seeing who is there and what was discussed and the type of team they were going to have, I knew there was more of an outside chance after leaving Chicago.”

Modano stilled watched, however. Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, the tournament MVP, wowed him as he backstopped Team USA to a silver medal.

“He’s obviously the best player in the tournament,” Modano said. “There’s no chance they would’ve gotten to where they were without him playing the way he did.”

Many would say the same about some of Modano’s teams.

Notes: Two of the league’s top agitators – the Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta and the Stars’ Steve Ott – fought ferociously early in the second period. When the bout ended, Kaleta waived his arms high above his head, bringing a roar from the 18,690 fans. … The Sabres scratched center Paul Gaustad (upper body), winger Drew Stafford (groin) and defenseman Chris Butler (healthy). … Modano’s assist on Jamie Benn’s goal moved him into a tie with Brendan Shanahan for 23rd on the NHL’s all-time point list. … Buffalo native Steve Mesler, a gold medalist in the four-man bobsled in Vancouver, dropped a ceremonial faceoff.