Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
Disagree with the bolded.
The most important thing is to develop these players to their high point, not just hurdle the lowest bar on the NHL club.
If bringing up Pelletier too quickly sets him back, then what was the point of being a bit better than the team's worst forward?
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The players the OP bolded were all wrong, but the sentiment was 100% right. This team really has 3 players in the entire bottom 3 lines that are consistently doing anything positive for the team (Mangiapane, Lucic and Coleman). Backlund is fine but he's certainly not doing enough this season. If you don't think there's room there for players like Pelletier, or yes, even Ruzicka to take some minutes, what exactly would it take?
Ritchie, Pitlick, Richardson, Lewis and yes, even Monahan are awful players that barely move the needle in any direction. Dube isn't far off with the exception he seems to jump out once or twice every handful of games. You can maybe manage having 1-2 of these guys on your roster, but when they're potentially all in the lineup at the same time you're in big trouble.
Do you honestly think Pelletier would be ruined if he were playing 12 minutes a night with second unit PP time for 6-8 games? Doubtful. If anything, at least he get's a taste of the show and what it takes to reach this level. Best case he takes off and runs with it and the team starts to get back on track too. Youthful energy and skill goes a long way in the doldrums of the season.