There is only downside to bringing him up for year one of a tear down. Why would the Flames do that? Let him master the defensive side of his game, save two years of his elc, and let him put on some muscle. Then, unleash a 20 year old stud with 3 years of elc left at a time that the Flames MAY care about winning. These next two years should be about earning high picks. For those worried about creating a losing culture, why would the Flames expose him to that? To me, it makes no sense to bring him up now. Even if he’s ready, let him season in the ohl until it makes sense for the organization to utilize him. The added benefit is that at the end of his elc you’ll know exactly what you have as he’ll be 23 and 5 years removed from his draft year. Sign him long term so we avoid what happened to Chucky. That one still hurts my soul!
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