Jeremy Laura: Can Danielson “punch up” in the preseason?

Danielson is a couple years away. If anyone is going to get a spot I’d argue Kasper. Mazur looks like he will make the lineup. I fully expect Berggren to make the lineup.
Detroit has and always will over ripen the young guys. Creates the healthiest team cultures and shows the young guys that they need to earn a role not wow people with skill or scoring. NHL is about roles. What seems to be alluded to here is the Maple Leafs development model which I’m sure everyone has figured out doesnt work.

Being mentally mature is just as important as scoring 40 goals in a year.

Dont you earn a spot by skill and scoring?

Danielson is a couple years away. If anyone is going to get a spot I’d argue Kasper. Mazur looks like he will make the lineup. I fully expect Berggren to make the lineup.
Detroit has and always will over ripen the young guys. Creates the healthiest team cultures and shows the young guys that they need to earn a role not wow people with skill or scoring. NHL is about roles. What seems to be alluded to here is the Maple Leafs development model which I’m sure everyone has figured out doesnt work.

Being mentally mature is just as important as scoring 40 goals in a year.
- optimus-reim

I’ll push back a little that some of that has changed. Raymond came in at 19, Seider at 20, Larkin at 19. I think Mazur has a good shot based on his trajectory. He’ll likely be a checking forward. Edvinsson is set to hit the roster, not overripe. Danielson would have to do a lot to get there, but the expectations are different. I don’t think the overripe model stands the way it did.

Danielson is a couple years away. If anyone is going to get a spot I’d argue Kasper. Mazur looks like he will make the lineup. I fully expect Berggren to make the lineup.
Detroit has and always will over ripen the young guys. Creates the healthiest team cultures and shows the young guys that they need to earn a role not wow people with skill or scoring. NHL is about roles. What seems to be alluded to here is the Maple Leafs development model which I’m sure everyone has figured out doesnt work.

Being mentally mature is just as important as scoring 40 goals in a year.
- optimus-reim

The days of the "over ripe" prospects are done and gone. That was the stupid mentality of Ken Holland. Let his best prospects rot in GR an extra couple years until they're in their mid-20's. Horrible asset managment. This is a younger league now and the the dinosaur mentality of "tie goes to the veteran" is pretty much gone. This team can't afford to let their best young talent sit in GR like the old days. Yzerman seems to get that at least. He's now going on 6 years without the playoffs... so let the kids play who are ready now. They'll still have to earn their ice time... but at least they'll still be in their early 20's for the most part.

He's more of a crane kicking kind of guy.

Danielson is a couple years away. If anyone is going to get a spot I’d argue Kasper. Mazur looks like he will make the lineup. I fully expect Berggren to make the lineup.
Detroit has and always will over ripen the young guys. Creates the healthiest team cultures and shows the young guys that they need to earn a role not wow people with skill or scoring. NHL is about roles. What seems to be alluded to here is the Maple Leafs development model which I’m sure everyone has figured out doesnt work.

Being mentally mature is just as important as scoring 40 goals in a year.

On the contrary, I think Mitch Marner is one of the best examples of why you should move talented prospects to the NHL sooner rather than later.

Marner was clearly good enough to play in the NHL immediately after being drafted, but Toronto sent him back to beat up juniors for a year -- and causing his ELC to slide. Because of that decision, Marner became an RFA after a 94-point season instead of a 69-point one.

Lucas Raymond had a lot of points but a lot of warts (especially defensively) in his rookie NHL season. Imagine if Yzerman had pulled a Kenny H and let him cook an extra year to iron out those issues. You think it's hard to get this guy locked down at a fair price now, after his age 22 season? Imagine how tough it'd be if he keeps going on his current trajectory and became an RFA at age 23 instead.

Kasper and Mazur are not over-ripe; they clearly were not ready at the start of last year and only really became high-end AHLers by the end of the season. Danielson probably isn't ready either, unless he's taken a truly massive step forward just over the summer.

But I hate the attitude that "tie goes to the veteran" and guys have to pay their dues in the minors and be 20, 21, even 22 before moving up regardless of what they prove at lower levels. If you have a prospect you're banking on to be part of your long-term core, and they're good enough to crack the opening night roster, I think you're far better served by promoting them sooner rather than later.