I think that's very plausible. Give Vesa a taste of the NHL and AHL so he can make an informed decision about his future. Jets can be pretty frank with him and say look at Connor. He came here, was healthy scratched a bunch until game 30 and then was sent down. He spent time in the A and when his shot came he was ready and hasn't looked back. Look at Rosie. Played in the AHL and then got some playoff games in and now has secured a spot and won't look back. Also look at Dano. Came to camp out of shape when he had his chance to grab a spot and missed his opportunity here as others passed him on the depth chart. Look at Lemeiux, he's getting his shot now to prove what he can do but he spent a few seasons in the AHL first. Petan needs to be ready when his chance comes.
Jets could say "Vesa, you can do what you want but if Appleton puts in another strong season, maybe he's next in line. You're going to have to spend some time in the AHL at some point to prove that you're ready. You can do that now or next year, or the year after that. It's up to you, but whenever you decide to come over, handing you a spot in our NHL lineup isn't likely in the cards. We gave you a solid look this year but you haven't slammed the door on your competition. We gave you an NHL cheque for a bit and took you to play in Finland. If you want to stay in Finland fine, but if you get on that plane, we expect you to stay with the Moose the entire season. We'll call you up for playoffs if we make it and you might have an inside track for a roster spot next year. That's entirely up to you and how you play."