Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbob
I think the timing of the injury and then the juniors I think worked out. Where I think it is getting a bit grey is this stretch we are in now. You have 2 weeks conditioning stint with the wranglers that ends just before the Olympics. Not the worst because all players are off.
After the Olympics they need to make a choice to play him in the NHL. With all the players sitting around it is kind of like a reset and training camp. At that point there are 5 games left before the trade deadline and about 4 weeks likely left in the Saginaw season (their last game is March 21st and they are not going to the playoffs).
I think the Flames have 2 options, play him in the NHL the rest of the way, or keep him up until Saginaw is done and then send him to the Wranglers for a remainder of the wrangler season, which is about 9 regular season games plus playoffs. Although Wranglers are sitting outside the playoffs so need to get things together to even have a post season.
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Going back to the CHL should be fully off the table for sure. Organizationally, you made the choice to keep him up here in September - there's nothing left for him to prove or learn at that level. We even had that confirmed by his play at the WJC. The AHL later in the year makes sense, but only if he's really struggling as a Flame.
The Flames need to stop tip toeing around this and get him into the NHL line up moving forward. They made the right move sending him to the WJC and now the AHL, but now that he's hopefully got some confidence back and can come in in game shape it is time to let him play. There are many, many ways to accomplish this from easing him back in as a 7th and PP QB, playing him in only home games on a regular pairing where they can really control his starts, or just dressing him as a regular and letting him rip.