Imagine playing Lucic in 2022 and not calling this guy up.
For real though what’s the deal? Your 1st pick from 3 years ago scores PPG in 80 games in the AHL, I mean usually he gets a tryout.
We had one open top 9 spot heading into the season for a prospect, and Ruzicka has taken it. So the options are call him up for 4th line minutes, or demote someone from our top 9 for him. Lots of Flames fans don’t see a problem with him playing 4th line, but 2 games ago they got around 10 minutes of ice time and last game it was closer to 6. I definitely can see how dominating the AHL may be better than playing 6-10 minutes a night in the NHL.
The other option is to demote a struggling top 9 player to the 4th line, which at this point is probably Dube, another youngish forward. This move logistically makes sense, but opens a can of worms especially if Pelletier doesn’t run with the opportunity.
Most likely situation is how most of the teams in the league operate midseason. Wait for an injury, call up the most deserving prospect, let him try and prove he shouldn’t be sent back down when the regular returns.