Triumph
Registered User
- Oct 2, 2007
- 13,542
- 13,928
This has been a shift in philosophy - not with just the Devils or hockey but in sports in general (and not on a good way). My hunch is based largely on economics.
in the better years of the franchise the AHL was referred to as Lou U, where young players or even highly-touted prospects from other organizations who had failed there, went to develop into competent and productive NHL players.
There are probably six or more current Devils that likely should have had more time - either in junior, university and/or the AHL - before playing in New Jersey.
This was merely the Devils having so many good players that they could afford to do this. Teams rarely amass this much talent and when they do, it usually doesn't last for that long. Lou U ended - Gomez went directly to the NHL, Mike Commodore played more NHL games for the Devils than AHL games for Albany, Gionta went into the NHL after a half-season in the AHL, David Hale and Paul Martin jumped right into the NHL, Zajac went directly to the NHL, Henrique spent a season in the AHL, and Severson went directly to the NHL.
It would've been nice had there been sufficient talent above some of these players such that they could've been kept in the minors. But there wasn't.