He should at least play in the AHL and play nearly double the games against men. This is a disaster and could be a wasted year IMO
It's only a disaster if he is actually trying to force his way to a different NHL organization. His statements don't support that conclusion, but it wouldn't be the first time that everyone involved has said all the right things publicly despite a contentious relationship behind the scenes.
This isn't
good news and I think that being in the pros next year would be
better for his development.
But he hasn't outgrown the NCAA on-ice. This isn't a situation where he is so much better than the league that he can have a ton of success while reinforcing a bunch of bad habits. He can still absolutely stand to gain size/strength, which is easier to do with a college schedule. He can still absolutely stand to work specifically on his skating, which is easier to do in-season during a college schedule than a pro schedule. There is still plenty of room to improve his on-ice performance at the NCAA level as well.
This isn't a guy who has outgrown junior and is blasting one of the CHL leagues for 2+ points a night without having to put the work in. 2024/25 absolutely shouldn't be a wasted year on his development path.
Again, it is a disaster if he is doing it to get out of our organization. But if he winds up signing 12 months from now, it isn't anything close to a disaster. Perhaps not ideal, but far from disaster.