One thing (IMO) is then insisting not to plug in rookies immediately after being drafted.
We saw this with Luc Bourdon and Cody Hodgson.
Both looked ready and had a legitimate shot at competing and weren't given shots.
I believe Nonis said at the time he didn't want to waste a year of ELC deal on the bottom pairing for Bourdon. Which is ridiculous. The obsession of "getting more minutes" in a worse league at some point needs to stop.
And Gillis has carried on that mighty tradition with Hodgson and not giving Shinkaruk even 8 games last season despite the fact they were one of the worst offensive teams.
It's not an obsession, there's a reason behind it.
The difference between playing 10 minutes on the 3rd/4th line of an NHL team getting extremely sheltered minutes is vastly different from getting 18-20 minutes on the 1st/2nd line while playing top PP/PK minutes.
NHL teams rarely tank from the outset, and thus will need to ice their best lines to win games. As a result, any time a rookie isn't contributing or is bleeding goals, they ride the pine. As you saw this season, a 8-10 point difference is the difference between a playoff spot and picking in the top 6. For most non-joke franchises, it's imperative to stay competitive until you're mathematically eliminated.
As a result, by the time we hit October, most teams have their top 6 nailed down with a couple of 3rd line tweeners ready to jump up into the 1st/2nd line when need be. This means rookies are rarely gifted a roster spot in the top 6 unless the team is brutal and devoid of talent (CLB/EDM). Which would be fine, if we had only 2-3 proven top 6 players, we can probably give our best blue chipper a spot, but it's rarely the case as we've been looking to compete between 2008-2014 (beginning of last season).
Playing against slightly inferior players or players near your level allows you to have the time and space to work on your game (offense in particular). When you're constantly stuck on the 3rd/4th line with grinders like Sestito and Hansen, it's difficult to get into an offensive groove unless you're a speed demon with insane hands capable of creating offense out of nowhere. For most players, they either need a good finisher or a good puck retriever/passer, which is few and far between in the bottom 6.
While Sestito is in the NHL and someone like Alex Giroux in the AHL, there's a huge difference between setting up Alex Giroux in the AHL against inferior players/goalies than setting up Sestito in the NHL against high end defenders and goalies.
I think more than any other sport, mental fortitude is important in hockey. Taking baby steps to the NHL makes it a lot easier for young players to adjust. When you have more time and space to create offense and put up numbers, it's an indication you're doing something right. You could be doing all the right things in the NHL sometimes, but still fail to put up numbers (Kassian). Rookies without the mental fortitude may feel like they hit a glass ceiling and start becoming more hesitant (major cause of slumps) and turns into a vicious cycle.
The big leap is not as easy as it looks. Very few prospects since the cap era outside of the elite and occasional diamond in the rough are able to make the jump right away.