[Fan in Exile]

Ricardodw's point on Baertschi's ability to play and contribute in the NHL as compared to Toffoli is valid. Baertschi has shown that he can play and contribute in the NHL at the same rate as Toffoli. He has areas of his game that need to be developed further. The issue is where he will best develop AND whether he should be on the team right now comparing him to other players on the roster.

It's a lot easier on a guy like Toffoli or someone in the Redwings organization who knows from the outset he's trying to break in with a championship team and he will have to serve his time in the minors than for a player to play in the NHL, establish himself as one of his team's top scorers and then yo-yo back and forth from the AHL.

No mystery why that could cause confidence issues or feelings of unfairness. Having said all that, there is an upside to Sven being in the AHL and I hope he manages to see the positives, plays well and comes back and steps into the lineup. Not convinced it was a wise move.

The problem with pointing to prospects who spend time in the minors and then have successful NHL careers as evidence that this is what is best for development is that we don't know what would have happened with the same players had they remained in the NHL. Some players undoubtedly do benefit from the AHL. Other promising players go down and never develop to their potential.

I haven't seen any indication that the AHL has helped Sven become a better player. It seems to me that with every demotion and public calling out, he has lost confidence. To me that's mismanagement.