On Mesar:
For his development, if he can’t play top six in Laval, send him where he’ll be most challenged. That’s Kitchener.
If you’re not so concerned about turning this prospect into a successful NA player, who needs to survive the physical rigours of NA hockey, then sure, send him back across the pond to play on big ice where he can continue to avoid contact. I’m not saying Europe is a bad place to develop players, but this player struggled at times last year at the junior level, so before he plays against men, maybe he should dominate at this level first. He’s not too good for this league.
From a Ranger perspective, I’m not worrying about his trade value. We’re selling and we should be selling big time. If I’m selling off Rehkopf at the deadline, (and I 100% would if the return is right), I don’t trade Mesar at all unless the Habs wanted him moved to a contending team.
But if the Habs send him here, and he played out the season here, the Habs would know that Mesar would step into the #1 center roll (if and when Rehkopf is dealt) and would face every team’s top checkers and D.
If this new coaching staff can get him to excel under those circumstances, by the time our season is over, predictably not making the post season, Mesar would then move up to Laval to finish the season a better player than he was at the start of the year.