I think Heinen is too good offensively for the AHL but he still has a lot of room for improvement of both sides of the puck, and his ability to battle for pucks. He's going to continue to improve in this area even down in providence
That said, he and cehlarik should both be up at some point provides Sweeney makes the right moves so we don't lose any players for nothing like we did with subban
Everyone has “room for improvement” in their game. The reason I want Heinen up in Boston is because Development is a progression. It appears to me that Heinen has more than adapted to AHL game speed and is dominating offensively and defensively at this point (he was excellent on the PK in PRO this past weekend).
He’s the kind of player that needs time at NHL speed and against NHL talent to acclimate. I think he’s starting to already, and he looked much more confident this year as opposed to last, but the more NHL time he gets, the quicker he will start to produce IMO.
I look at a kid like Pasta, Bjork to a lesser extent, and they have plus skating skills which makes their games more dynamic. A player like that can more easily make the jump to the NHL game. Guys like Heinen and DeBrusk are good skaters, (not as explosive as some) and also “heady” players. These types of players (IMO) typically need games/time at each stop to adjust and raise their games.
I believe that Heinen has been as good/better than DeBrusk in Camp and last year in PRO, but they have different styles. Perhaps Boston wanted more of a “power forward” like DeBrusk to play on DK’s wing, which is why he got the NHL nod this year? Heinen has a good shot, but unless he starts using it more, I’m not sure he and Krejci would be a great fit?
Regardless, I believe that in order to get the best out of Heinen (and I would put Cehlarik in the same category at this point). They need to be at the NHL level. I think Sweeney knows that as well, but he needs to make some room first. Hope it doesn’t take him too long.