Quote:
Originally Posted by Red_Baron
I haven't covered the whole thread to see if this has been mentioned, but before some of you were born, there was this guy named Jarome that made his debut with the Flames in the playoffs after his D+1season and he fared pretty well in his career. Not bad for an 11th overall pick.
Remember all these nannies afaid that letting Dustin Wolf play in the NHL?
So many here so afraid to try a bold move and keeping the kid gloves on way too long. It is amazing at how many idiotic narratives have been created on this board and how hard it is for those narratives to die.
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I understand the point and the impulse that exceptional players should be able to transition to the NHL well, but there are a few things to consider.
1) Iginla is/was a generational power forward and 1st ballot hall of famer. He also wasn't that exceptional in his first few seasons as a Flame (think on the level of Matt Coronato). Even elite players like Jarome take time to find their game at the NHL level.
2) Iginla was a winger, by far the easiest position to learn at the NHL level. The least amount of responsibility, and the most freedom to attack offensively. This is why wingers, and to a much lesser extent, centers are able to reach their peak at a younger age. There's less to learn defensively to be successful.
3) Despite Wolf's elite play in junior, he still needed seasoning in the AHL. A couple of seasons of dominant play helped him to transition to the pros, but he did get about 15 starts last year and didn't look that great. That experience was important for his development as they didn't over expose him, but allowed him to recognize and work on his deficiencies from being exposed a little at the NHL level (I think of just his footwork in coming out to challenge shooters as being a major improvement as he was consistently getting beat high last year). But that exposure came late in the year, and not after coming right out of junior.
4) Defensemen are probably second only to goalies in their need to develop in the AHL. Lots of repetitions learning the pro game are needed. Anticipation, reading plays, stick work, body position etc. all are a big jump up from junior to just the AHL. It is no shame (and quite frankly, is probably prudent) for any highly touted defense prospect needing some time to just practice those habits before being thrown into a game, especially a high pressure game, where they won't have time to think through decisions and need to respond on instinct and experience.
It's not like they're going to hold Parekh back when he's ready (not if), but they have to determine when that time is good for him after assessing him in practice at the very least. There's a lot to learn just in terms of systems play, and if he doesn't fit in with what the rest of the team is doing purely on instinct at this point of the season, then he may disrupt the entire flow of his team and possibly single-handedly ruin whatever shift he's on. He needs to demonstrate that he can fit in with the style of play cohesively, otherwise he comes in to play at a detriment to the rest of his team.
He will probably get a game or two in after the Flames are eliminated. The only way he gets in before that is if one of the veterans has a couple of back to back abysmal performances. It still benefits him greatly to be in that environment, see the work ethic and preparation, and understand what it takes to win in crunch time at the NHL level.