I've been watching Jesse's development for several years quite closely. JP really does have an amazing potential, the extent of which some people may still not quite realize as he is still going through the adjusting period. After all, he lacked the tough World Cup games and as a good boy he's probably trying to avoid mistakes that could lead him straight to AHL. I believe that once he feels more settled and isn't as worried about possible mistakes he starts to shine more. Sorry if this sounds fanboyish, that is not what I want.
JP was barely 17 when he started at the FEL and the start was quite phenomenal. His ppg was about 0,5 and despite some clear rawness in his game he should've stayed in the team for longer, but the head coach felt it's better for him to develop in other teams. A year later he started the fall slow, worse than people had learned to expect from him. However, when things started to change he was suddenly the most energetic guy on the ice, making 1 ppg and scoring lots of important goals. Despite lacking many of the easiest semifinal games, where his teammates got most of their points, he still managed to keep that 1ppg average at the playoffs.
The reason I started to write here was not just to praise JP, but to talk about his future in NHL. It's interesting to see how different situation JP has in Edmonton compared to Laine in Winnipeg. It seems to me that even though Laine at least hasn't had any easier start in NHL, pretty much no-one is even considering sending him to AHL. Laine has also got to play a lot more.
Has Edmonton really a much wider roster or do people here believe in the developing role of AHL more? Or could it be that because of the lack of recent hype the expectations towards JP are much lower? Of course there is also the contract issues that have their effect and then there is your past with putting promising forwards to NHL maybe too soon.
I'm not trying to tell or guess what is best for your team. Neither am I saying which of the young talents is the best. However, I've seen Jesse learn to dominate in pretty much all the teams he's played at. That's why I wouldn't be surprised if he were one of your best forwards already in the spring, especially if he stays in NHL. However, I do realize that this is NHL and the adjusting may take some time for even the most promising players, especially the ones coming from other countries and larger rinks.