Toronto Maple Leafs: Sending NHL Players to Junior Is Stupid

There is no doubt that this has been one of the more interesting and exciting versions of the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp in years.

And, subsequently, the Toronto Maple Leafs – through no fault of their own – are going to have to make a pretty stupid move.

The NHL rules dictate that if you were drafted from the CHL (one of the three Canadian Major Junior leagues – the WHL, the OHL or the QMJHL) you cannot play in the AHL unless you are 20.

That means that the Leafs are going to have to send two players who could play in the NHL right now, back to their junior teams where they will be facing off against players who are not good enough to challenge them or help them to improve.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Sending NHL Players to Junior Is Stupid

The rule is designed to keep star player playing for the small-town teams that make up junior hockey as long as possible.

Obviously if you want to become a professional at something you are going to need to challenge your skills against people better than you are.

Therefore, a player who could play in the NHL at age 19 but maybe isn’t 100% ready really gets screwed over by this rule.

The NHL knows this and recently brokered an exception to keep Seattle Kraken prospect Shane Wright from having to return and play in junior if he fails to make the NHL out of camp this fall.

Leafs players Easton Cowen (first round pick this past summer) and Fraser Minten (second round pick last summer) are in the same position.

Both have shown in this year’s training camp that they are capable of playing in the NHL.  Either one of them could make the Leafs and play their rookie season this year.

For a variety of reasons – extending their entry level deals, conservative development practices, the fact that the Leafs are a Cup Contender and don’t have many roster spots available – each player is highly likely to be cut from the Leafs and returned to junior.

However, since both players could play in the NHL right now, it’s going to be a huge waste of team for each player to go to junior and play against other young players, most of whom do not have a hope in hell of ever being on an NHL roster.

Riding a crappy bus from small town to small town, playing in front of 400 people, and against what basically amounts to children is a recipe for a lost year of development.

Since Cowen and Minten could both play in the NHL, but likely won’t, where they need to be playing is in the AHL against players who can challenge them.

Don’t believe the nonsense spin people put on this situation when they say it’s good for them to be the best on their teams and learn to be leaders etc.  – They clearly already were doing that, or they wouldn’t be where they are at such a  young age.

This situation is greed-based and ridiculous.  In my opinion, the Toronto Maple Leafs would be better served to just keep each player and create a kind of a “kid line” at the bottom of the roster.

But of course, having signed David Kampf and Ryan Reaves to extremely bad contracts, that isn’t really an option because there is no room on the team.  In this situation, everyone loses.

Future millionaires have to go ride a bus and play against 16 year olds.

Leafs fans are denied the excitement of seeing them play, and the team is likely worse for it, now and in the future.