A lot of things can happen to give Tolchinsky a chance here. He's still early in his development as a pro, so he may become a better scorer at these levels, and even a better rounded player. Guys improve over the summer, so for all we know, he may blow the doors off already. He doesn't have to be the exact same player as last year. I don't expect that, but we just don't know.
I think his first year in the AHL was perfectly fine. The other thing is, if all the players that you guys are thinking are so much better than him turn out to be, they are going to get big contracts at some point, along with our great young D, and that could easily open a path for him as a cheap scorer. It just seems dumb to say that a guy after his first year pro is coming to an end. It wouldn't be surprising if he only gets spot duty again this year, a few more games next year than that, and really makes it the following year, if he makes it at all. He of course does need to improve for that to happen, which only time will tell.