yes, i'm familiar with the Petan can of worms. his linesmates weren't the best, but i think that he showed enough bad habits to warrant his reduced icetime. more risks vs benefits when he was on the ice. but we digressthis should be about coach icing the best possible roster right now during the cup window, not vesa's development.
plus vesalainen is not the same level of prospect that laine/ehlers were. the team's depth wasn't the same during those times too.
i also don't believe connor failed at all. same goes for petan but i won't open up that can of worms right now..
i'm honestly not sure as to what kind of prospect Vesalainen really is. to be honest, he looks a hell of a lot better on his skates than Laine did (or does). He's not as dynamic and we'll see how his shot translates, but i'm quite optimistic about him and what he'll bring.
this coach needs to be icing the best roster possible to ensure our ongoing success. that includes bringing a 19 year old along and seeing if they can increase their level of game so that, come the last 1/3 of the season, you have a scary scoring threat on your third line and you have a defensively-responsible forward. Vesalainen will give you more than Dano. i'm tempted to think that, by the end of the year, this will be fact. perhaps this season, he and Petan will be at the same level (even with the age difference).