EHM The Blue Line

How many years after the draft should you sign your top prospects... should you also let them play one year with your AHL affiliate before making the jump to the NHL?

Depends on who it is and how ready he is. But with the Leafs don't you trade em away at the trade deadline for a 50 year old right winger? Cause that would be reality? But then again, as the Leafs how come you even have draft picks?

Some guys need the time to develop. I sent Esposito down for a year, but not Tavares. Kane spent three years before I called him up. And then he was a 30 goal scorer. Marc Staal spent one. Note: Other than Tavares and Esposito these were all in different games. I traded good players for those picks!

It depend I think

If the prospect isn't NHL ready (like 95% of them), I let them finish their junior stage. After, most of them will play at least one season in AHL. Remember that most of them are long-time development. It maybe take 3-4-5 years before they'll be ready for NHL. College and European players can play in AHL under-20, so the best of them can be sent to the farm team directly.

Only Top Notch prospect jump in junior aged, think of it, there aren't alot of Crosby, Kessel and Dion walking around in each draft. Those exceptionnal players are cream of the crop.

lol... Im with the leafs... but Im NOT JFJ... with Marc Staal (in my good game) I let him play his first season

in my bad game (which i retired from awhile ago), I brought Pogge up too quickly and couldn't do anything with him.. but my coach kept saying he was becoming one of the better players in the league