Ideally Holland is responsible for the lineup. I feel like Babcock had his input in there as well.
I do not know if Larkin is NHL ready right now.
There is something to be said about putting a player like Larkin in the NHL right away. And I think it is a dangerous thing to do. You say "if he doesnt produce then send him down" "Whats the worst that can happen?"... Well worst is you destroy his confidence. You shatter the player. Just think of players like Kadri in Toronto. And ask how that worked out for them. Brought up way too early and just manhandled at the NHL level.
Look I hope Larkin does well. But I am on the patience side in this. 1/2 season in the AHL minimum. If he BLOWS YOUR FREAKING SOCKS OFF in camp.... then maybe... What do I mean by that is he has to score >1.5-2 PPG in preseason. Ya it has to be that way, because he wont be vs regular NHL competition.
If he puts up those numbers, its hard to say no. ONLY then. What is 1/2 a season anyway....
Well its enough for Larkin to see how he does in the AHL. I am sorry, but playing 10 games or whatever in the AHL is not a big enough sample size.
I think Jurco was brought up way too early if you ask me. And he is paying for it right now. You don't think not scoring all season is affecting him. I personally would be ok with him going back to the AHL. But you can't really do that now. He is stuck in no man's land. He has to gain confidence in the NHL. And that is a tough thing.
I like Larkin alot. I think we have a good thing with him. He is going to be an NHL player. But treating the player right, having them earn their spot is needed. Mantha is a good example. People wanted him on the team out of camp last year. Yes he had that injury. But people wanted it. Its very possible the injury has little to do with how he did this year. He did not look dominant even at the end of the year. He is watching pulkinnen right now... learning how you have to do in the AHL before u get to the NHL.
Work ethic. I do not think skipping this development system is good for any player involved. I don't care how good they are. (Exceptions: McDavid/Eichel - Thats it)
First off, let me say this: I am definitely on the "hold your horses" side of things when it comes to Larkin. I have grown to like him a lot in the course of 6 months or so, and while that makes me really hopeful, it also makes me very wary of buying into the hype and having that obscure my vision.
However....
This is Ken Holland's team. Mike Babcock is about as big an ego/celebrity/institution as you can get in the NHL coaching world, and Ken Holland was
still the guy saying "Ouellet isn't a regular - Lashoff, Kindl et al. are." There is no doubt in my mind that Holland will have nearly carte blanche when it comes to roster decisions while having a rookie coach (whether or not that is a good thing is a different convo). I have many criticisms to make about Holland, but buying into the hype of a prospect is not one of them. Larkin will absolutely not be in the NHL if he doesn't blow us away in camp. And even then, he will not be in the NHL long if he doesn't blow us away in the NHL...Which brings me to my next point: Larkin will (likewise) absolutely not play in the NHL for 9 games if he's bombing. Which is actually a pretty great psychological move from a management perspective (although I think Holland uses it too much): he often rides the line when it comes to giving a player enough to time to show his stuff in the NHL. Ergo, I would bet big money that if Larkin doesn't look competent in the NHL after 2-3 games, he'll be back in the AHL. And that may be the perfect amount of time for Holland to say "yeah, this kid isn't ready" while Larkin is still thinking "man, I could totally play in this league if they just gave me a few more games to adjust" and then proceeding to destroy the AHL and soak up all he can from the AHL atmosphere en route to a full-time NHL spot. 9 games in the NHL is a month in some cases, while 2-3 games is a week. If you're destroying an NHL prospect's confidence in 2-3 games, then that problem goes far behind when and how you cut him from an NHL squad.
As for the Kadri comparison, you're talking about a top 10 pick who was endorsed by Brian Burke and was rushed onto the NHL's biggest stage while being a high-skilled prospect with notable issues regarding his character and defensive game. Larkin is almost the inverse of that: notable character strengths and a solid defensive game with (at the time of drafting) a questionable ceiling in terms of skill. Not only do I question that comparison, but players who are lauded for their character, a la Larkin, are typically much more resilient when it comes to adversity and much more receptive when it comes to criticism than those who build careers on skilled. I recognize this is a generalization, but I think its relevant nonetheless.
As for the "10 game sample size," I think thats a little short-sighted. Larkin isn't being show-ponied because of 10 games - He's getting the credit because he had a good NCAA first half...followed by a great WJC...then an impressive NCAA second-half...then a solid Worlds...then a great pro debut. All in all, its more like a great year playing against peers, amateurs, pros, and men.
Lastly, I don't necessarily disagree about Jurco being rushed, but part of me wonders if Babcock recognized Jurco's versatility and petitioned for him to stay. Babcock is a fan of big bodies and may have had hopes of conforming Jurco into being a more-skilled Abdelkader by way of indoctrination. Its just a thought. Either way, if Jurco is 15 lbs lighter and two inches shorter, I'd bet my life he's in the AHL at some point in early 2015.
