Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto
If you can bring a guy up too soon, isn't it possible to leave a guy in the minors for too long? Leland Irving comes to mind...
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Irving's performance in the AHL is most of what kept him off of the Flames roster. In his best professional season in NA he posted a .913 SP, and then he split time between Abbotsford and Calgary the following year. His development looked on track in the 2011–12 season, and then his performance dropped considerably the following year. He never really showed consistent enough progression to force the Flames' hand—never dominated in the AHL, and never looked quite comfortable enough to stay in the NHL.
I don't think Irving is a good example of a player who suffered for spending too much time in the minors at all. What else were the Flames supposed to do with him?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto
I just don't see why a bottom feeder team like the Flames need to go into camp year after year with with 22+ one way deals. There should be at least 2 or 3 spots open with about 10 guys having a realistic chance of being able to compete for those spots.
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There are plenty of realistic chances to be had for prospects and rookies to make this year's team, regardless of how many one way deals the Flames have already signed. Monahan forced his way onto the team last year. Brodie did it back in 2011. There will be many more players in the next three years who will follow suit.
I much prefer having a situation where prospects have to force the team's hand to claim a spot, rather than have openings that they will fill with the best of a lot who may not be ready to play yet at a high enough level.