Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
The bottom line is that Hartly better get used to icing younger players in his bottom pairings going forward as next season will be the last that guys like Wideman, Engelland and Smid will be options for him.
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I think Smid surprisingly coming back, and not being able to move Wideman, really hurt the development of some players on the back end this year.
Wotherspoon and Nakladal both need some NHL time to take the next step and develop as players.
However the way the roster played out, and then the reluctance of Hartley to play his young d-men, has hurt their development IMO.