Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
Ferland and Backkund are two guys that developed in the AHL. I don’t agree with focusing on the idea that once he’s up, he can’t be sent down. If he is better than everyone in Stockton then he should be able to prove it easily down there. The AHL is not an easy league and I’m not sure you can characterize it as sub par.
My conern is a young player who goes on extended streaks of no production. Plus he’s getting killed out there regularly.
As for there being 3 forward playing worse than him, not sure I’d agree. He has no goals and 2 assists.
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IIRC, those guys developed down there, came up and didn't return. Backs came up midway through the 9-10 season and didn't go back except for a 1 game conditioning stint. Backlund never really found his game in the AHL - he found it up here. Ferland came up and never returned - his offensive game only came about when he was tried out on the top line out of necessity.
I'm talking about guys sent down to "find their game". Poiriet, Shinkaruk, Reinhart, Agostino, Drew Shore, etc. were all guys who were sent down to improve scoring and had great AHL offensive games, so "confidence restored", right? Except it never translated to the NHL. Baerstchi never improved until he was kept up by Vancouver and then only after a couple years. Wotherspoon never found his game.
I'm sure there must be examples of guys who were offensively talented and were demoted to find their game, and it worked. I just can't think of one example.