Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!
Look at the Marlies top 6 scoring players this year, Brennan, Arco, Colin Smith, Leipsic, Leivo and Nylander. I doubt and Arco have a future as a Leaf, Smith at 56 points in 77 games at 23 maybe but doubtful, Leivo with 48 points in 51 games again maybe the NHL is in his future but he's still a prospect, not a blue chip prospect, Leipsic 54 points in 65 games which is very nice but still a prospect not a blue chipper. Nylander is a blue chipper but then he should have been with the Leafs from the git go.
I do think that blue chip is the proper term for players that are being developed in the AHL because that's the purpose of the AHL or any league in North America, to help make their players NHL worthy.
Something to also remember about the Marlies is that most teams wouldn't have held back obvious NHL talent for the sake of development and therefore the Marlies were able to dominate. I think development is fine but development shouldn't be sacrificed for the sake of winning. Having players like Brennan and Arco killing penalties, being in the 1st PP unit, getting the most ice time is counter productive as I don't see them as Leaf prospects, actual Leaf prospects should have been receiving prime time ice time. Having veteran leadership is fine and proper but having superior AHL talent using up prime development ice time isn't how I would think you develop actual prospects.
Take Arco, Brennan, Frattin and Campbell, who are all high functioning non prospects, off of the Marlie team and remove Nylander who shouldn't have been there in the first place and the Marlies might have not been much better than Bridgeport. That would have been fine because what's left is there for the purpose of development which is what the AHL is all about, what would be left are prospects. How much have these high functioning AHL lifers propped up the productivity of the actual prospects?
Blue chippers isn't normally a phrase that should be associated with players coming from the AHL, that should be for players like Marner, and Strome, players that are expected to be high functioning NHLers after leaving junior, the SEHL, college and other such leagues. Blue chippers from the AHL are players that are considered to have legitimate NHL potential but rarely exceptional NHL futures.
