Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay Random
If you're running four vets on D and rotating four rookies in and out of the lineup, you're not doing justice to the development of any of those four rookies.
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If you are replying to me, I can't tell if you are being serious or making a joke based on what I said about our fans all being conditioned to say that Flames prospects need to stay in the AHL.
For the sake of discussion: I really like a plan to target a minimum amount of NHL experience for these prospects to find out what we have with them. You can break down the 6 spots we allot to games like this over 82 game season (492 available D spots):
Weegar = 82 games
Bahl = 82 games
Pachal = 76 games (same as last season)
Hanley = 60 games (up from 53)
Parekh = 48 games
Solovyov = 48 games
Kuznetsov = 48 games
Poirier = 48 games
In the first quarter of the season you can focus on the 4 vets being in most of the games but in the second quarter you can open up Hanley and/or Pachal's spots to increase more reps for the rookies.
- If any of the rookies look like they are settling in and earn their spot then give them a bigger allotment of games (I expect Parekh to do this)
- If any of them look like they are struggling and out of place then put them on waivers and bring Bean back up.
48 games in the NHL plus being around the team for training and practices will be more useful experience for these prospects than any more time in the AHL doing what they have been doing for the last 3 to 4 years. If you leave them in the AHL then you are just developing AHL players.
AHL games played:
Solovyov = 229
Kuznetsov = 216
Poirier = 163
I can't see how more AHL games will help any of these guys or the organization find out what they are capable of in the NHL.
I expect that this is a part of the conversation Conroy is having with them right now in their contract negotiations.