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Originally Posted by New Era
...Mark Giordano...
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I think you need to do better than that. If you are going to claim that many players are stunted in their development as a result of "overcooking" then you need to identify who these players are. Mark Giordano is possibly one. Where are the others?
Moreover, what is "overcooked" in your estimation? As I see it, a good indicator that a player is ready to make the jump is in how dominant he appears while playing in the AHL. Marcus Granlund had clearly outgrown the AHL, and he was promoted. Michael Ferland was clearly too good for the AHL and he was promoted. So who is there that is languishing in a League that they have obviously outgrown? None of the current Flames prospects, as far as I can tell.
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...I don't think where a player slots in is necessarily the onus here. Giordano was originally bottom filler, as was Brodie. Players come in and, given opportunity, can show what they can do. What they need is an environment where they can play their game and make mistakes without worrying about being dispatched to the minors. This is the Flames biggest challenge. They have always been bad at doing this. And before you throw out Monahan, Bennett or Tkachuk as an example of otherwise, let me remind you those guys couldn't be dispatched to the minors. If they were demoted they were gone for the year. There was some significant incentive to keep them, which is why opportunity was afforded.
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I was never going to trot out examples of elite level prospects to counter you opinion of the Flames development shortcomings, but you really only need to look as far as your own example in Brodie.
In 2010 TJ Brodie made the Flames out of camp, before playing a single game in the AHL. He played three games and was sent down for the remainder of the season. He was not given ample opportunity to "make mistakes" at the NHL level, was developed through patience and gradual exposure, and now he is one of the team's best defensemen. Brodie became a full time NHLer when he was 22-years-old.