Quote:
Originally Posted by Regorium
@dissentowner: I'm clearly talking about the development separately. Both have excelled in the AHL, which is the only comparison I'm making between their situations.
@FDW: I think we just have a philosophical difference. Personally, I don't understand how you value AHL time so much.
Perhaps I'm not giving "confidence and psychological aspects" enough weight. My argument is that Jankowski is 100% stagnated right now because there's nothing for him to learn in the AHL. Your argument is that Janko is better served in his current stagnant state than (possibly) lose all confidence on the 4th line. My argument is that if he excels in a 4th line role, he can easily move up the lineup, but we'll never know.
For Gillies or Rittich - sure, I can take the argument that if you're ultra conservative with your players, then this year could be another development year. However, I also don't agree with your assertion that Gillies should be our #1 next year. No other starter made it that way. Gibson, Vasilevskiy, Mrazek were all backups at one point, and even Carey Price split duties with Halak for multiple seasons.
Finally, in the cap world, if you can get 3 "AHL" level players like Jankowski on your 4th line that can contribute at a 3rd line level, you're laughing all the way to the cup. On the other hand, if you have Glass, Stajan, and Brouwer who play about as well as expected for 4th liners, you're breaking even at best.
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A few rebuttals
-I don't think players stagnate at lower levels. There's always things to learn, always things the coaches can help you improve on. If you're a great AHLer you can learn to improve and be an elite AHLer
-Jankowski is ready and should be playing top 3 lines in the NHL right now. I'm sure injuries or trades will make room for him within the next month or two.
-I think the chance of 4th line minutes ruining Jankowski is low but I also don't think it really helps him develop or helps his confidence. Coaches want the 4th line to play a grinding, safe game and I don't think that suits his playstyle
-in the end I don't think it's a huge deal whether Jankowski is in the AHL for a month or two vs 4th line NHL. My feelings aren't super strong on that. But I am very convinced that Gillies needed another year in the minors. Goalies take a long time to develop and I think it's much, much better for development to be starting in the AHL vs backing up in the NHL
-I would be really interested in seeing a progressive coach use his 4th line as you suggest, like a 4th scoring line with young players. But with the way most coaches use their 4th line it's really best filled with defensive veterans and grinders
-I see Gillies as our starting goalie not next year but the year after. I could see him backing up next year if he has a really strong year in the minors this year. I don't see backing up first as a requirement but with our logjam of goalies it may make sense to use Gillies as the backup next season if he truly dominates the AHL this year