Young players need to earn their spot. I think its a coach that wants to win games and have players that can play responsibly. Which is probably a direction from the GM as well. It isn't inexcusable for contending teams to park young guys on the bench or in the minors when they make mistakes. It's actually part of the reason why I'm hoping that we trade Broberg - I don't think he's ready to help us, and I think the longer we hold him, the more his value will drop.
The farther along we get with this franchise, the more apparent it becomes that this isn't how it works.
Kailer Yamamoto's value didn't drop because we held onto him too long. It dropped because he grew to a player who earned a contract that exceeded his usefulness.
Philip Broberg even as a bottom pairing defenseman holds more value to Edmonton than he does as a trade chip today, which probably is something around a 2nd round pick.
Players like Kulak and Ceci (and Barrie) present an issue when trying to improve in a limited cap environment. Because it's easy for other teams to see the point when their contracts become an issue. It won't take much for their contracts to be viewed as negative value. Broberg is long, long way from that point.
Acquiring defensemen of that calibre comes at a considerably low cost. The 2nd that we paid for Kulak is at the very high end of what it takes. Replacing prospects on the otherhand is exceptionally difficult in a time where many of those assets are moving out every year to improve the main roster.
