If there was an option to send him to the AHL, I'd be for that, but there's very little left for him to learn in the CHL. I think that sending him back down, to a team going even further nowhere than the Flames are projected to end up, can only demotivate him. Yeah, he'll rack up 100 points down there, but what's the point.
As others have said, send him to the WJC, give him the Olympic break, and if he starts to wear down a bit mid-season, give him a few nights in the pressbox. I think that taking the attitude of not "wasting" a year of the ELC would prove counterproductive to the eventual goal of signing him here long-term.
Doesn't it seem smarter to say "You have a bright future, we want you to be part of this organization in the long run", rather than giving the appearance of trying to extend his time here as long as possible, because the team thinks he will bolt at the first chance?
Last edited by Voodooman; 10-23-2013 at 11:24 AM.
Reason: misplaced comma
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