I don't see any rush in signing him. He's not at risk of bolting as a UFA like Byron since he was only drafted 2 years ago. I'd like to see him produce more in the NCAA first.
He was drafted 2 years ago but he's already played 3 years of college hockey. His numbers have stagnated there, and is 2 years older than others from his draft. He is absolutely physically mature and plays a mature defensive game. I can absolutely tell from his play in watching him that he's not any more likely to develop an offensive element to his game by playing at a lower level (college) than he is by turning pro now, and in fact I believe he is actually more likely to develop an offensive element by playing with/against better players at the pro level. And he will have a chance to be a top-6 guy in WBS so it's not like he'll have limited minutes that would hinder his development.
My point with Tiffels is that he needs 1 year of pro before he's ready to play in the NHL, and that's not going to change whether he plays his senior year or not. He needs to get into WBS and start learning the Pens system, maybe get some games when there are injuries to the big club, etc. The point of signing him now is to expedite his arrival to the Pens, so by 2018-19 season he can be a solid, reliable player who can play in the NHL full time. If we leave him in college for another year and then a year in WBS, we'll have his rights for 3 years before he's a UFA at the NHL level. We should get him in the fold now.
He's ready to turn pro, end of story. It's that simple and we'll waste a year with him leaving him in college for his senior year. The WC tournament has shown he can play with/against men, so let's get him signed. He'll help WBS too, which is also valuable, especially since we'll have some openings there (Sundqvist, Archibald, Kostopolous, etc.)
