[DuckSauce]

I see two sides of the coin. I can appreciate that the AHL is a business of itself and everyone there is working their butt off to make it to the next level. If they all of the sudden get replaced with some kid from junior at the end of the season it would be a gut punch and maybe not the most professional way of coaching a team. But at the end of the day the point of a farm system is to develop players that will move on to be impactful for the big club.

I see a lot of comments about being "good exposure to the pro game" "soaking in being around pros". Honest question - is that really that impactful? Is their dedication and professional approach to the game of hockey not a major factor in what has separated them from their peers at this point or do they really learn a lot from seeing how Mitch McLain prepares for a playoff game/handles down time in an away city/treats his body? If its about getting familiar with the staff, practices and operations of the franchise great but I don't see that moving the needle.

Extreme example but did Colorado wait to allow Makar time to soak up the pro experience as a black ace or did they throw him into the deep end to sink or swim in the playoffs? Having said that I get that Brz is not Cale Makar but this is also not the NHL. There is either a level talent ready and available that would help the team or some of these guys are much further away from making the jump to the NHL than a lot of us would hope. This could be the hard truth.

Would you rather see 5 Wrangler playoff games with a vet heavy line up or 3 games with young guys who can take the on ice experience of game pace and physical strength of opponents into the off season and have that in mind as they train for next year?

Again, I see both sides. I am not saying give all these young guys top 6/4 and special teams BUT that is what I am interested in as a fan.