One factor to consider in determining whether Parekh is ready for the NHL this year is how ready are Flames for Parekh this year? Whoever Parekh's partner is will have a large impact on his development. With only two upper-tier, veteran d-men to be paired with him - both righties, - how he slots in could have a huge impact on him. Weegar can play the left side but he's their best D-man so if you paired these two, there would be no sheltering of Parekh. Partner him with Andersson and you're putting Rasmus on a side where he may not be at his best putting Parekh in a less than desirable situation to grow in.
Put him with any of the other potential d-men on a sheltered, 3rd pairing, now he is playing with either low-tier vet or a greener, younger player trying to figure out their game.
What happens if Weegar or Andersson are injured for an extended period?
I agree with the let the script play out but the worst thing the Flames could do is to burn a year of his ELC because he has a strong start but then ends up getting sent back to junior as the year progresses because he is not ready or the team is not ready.
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