Few things,
1). Jonkoping isn't Manhattan. I know he has NHL bloodlines, but there are a million things that can consume a teenager working in Midtown making close to a million bucks. Anybody with a general idea of Rangers' history knows the bad luck they've had with prematurely promoting teenagers.
2) His offensive game and creativity needs work. This is based off his play with HV71 a year ago. Playing center in the NHL in a stacked Metro division is no joke. He's going to need to drive possession and create for his wings. I didn't see him do that sort of stuff last year, although he was better in the playoffs. When he played with Tedenby he let him do most of the inside work.
3) The Rangers aren't a possession team, so playing a kid like Andersson on the 3rd line likely means less ozone starts, lots of dzone time and not a whole lot of offense. This can lead to a reduction in ice time, scratches etc (see No. 4).
4) AV has zero patience with youngsters unless they are responsible defensively, which means he's more inclined to use them as checkers. If Andersson is a checker at 19 in the NHL, you run the risk of him checking his entire career.
5) Generally speaking, European NHL draftees are better off developing in Euro elite leagues in the Draft-1 than jumping ship to North America and playing in the CHL/AHL or as a checker in the NHL.
Malkin spent two full years in Russia post-draft before making his NHL debut.
Ovechkin spent a full season in Russia post-draft (likely forced to because of lockout but still)
Backstrom, Karlsson and Kopitar each spent a full season in the SHL post-draft. Datsyuk spent two in Russia, Zetterberg three. Both Kuznetsov and Tarasenko close to four in Russia, and Kucherov at least one KHL season before jumping to NA to play Major Junior.
Mikael Granlund spent two full post-draft seasons in the Liiga before heading over. Zibanejad, Forsberg and William Nylander each played a full year in Sweden the season following their draft. On the flip side, you have guys like Barkov, Nichuskin, Lindholm as the obvious exceptions. Maybe throw Zherdev, Michalek in there as well. Plus Hedman.
There is absolutely nothing wrong in letting Andersson stay in Europe for next season, assume a Top-3/6 role and get used to playing against top matchups. This kid was a 7th overall pick -- you want him to become a star, not a replacement for Jesper Fast.
If the Rangers are going to rely on a kid next year, let it be Buchnevich -- a prospect with legit star potential further along in his development. I'd rather Andersson make his NHL debut along side established point producers after he's improved his own playmaking skills.
