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Originally Posted by combustiblefuel
And??? That's neat now do it again or better .My coaches and or bosses always have stressed this and I've always agreed. Anybody can do it once If your really that good you'll go out there repat that and do it multiple times.
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It's funny.
Sometimes teams don't even get the peak years of a player's skillset because teams are waiting for them to "repeat that" in the minors. By the time they finally break through as NHLers, injuries and wear and tear add up and the players have a short prime.
So you end up with underperforming veterans.
It is probable that Jacob Markstrom at age 25 as an AHLer was a better puck stopper than Jacob Markstrom at age 32, but which one gets the big dollars and icetime for the next three years after this one? The version likely entering a decline, being paid for past performance. It was probably the same with Kipprusoff.
Teams should be in the business of maximizing players' performance for their NHL club. And burying kids entering their prime in the minors while playing Trevor Lewis types in their top nine is probably not how you go about it. All young players need time as rookies... even Mangiapane had his struggles for months as a rookie after MORE ahl experience than Pellettier... but ultimately the only way to get a player to contribute positively to your NHL team is to have them learn to play in the NHL.
It's not about repeating it in the AHL. It's about getting a fair chance to take the next step so that we can capitalize on his prime.