1) Because neither of them are ready for full time NHL duty without stunting their development and being in the AHL for now is the best option for both of them.
2) Long term it doesn’t matter how Erne and Ehn turn out so let them burn on this dumpster fire this year.
I think Svechnikov in the AHL could be the worst thing for him.
He took a major step back in the AHL in his sophomore year but when he came up to the NHL he looked better than he did the previous year.
And by starting a 23-year-old there now, if he doesn't fit right there and struggles, you might lose any and all value in him.
If you start him in the NHL and give him 20-30 games, if he struggles, you can send him down or bench him or whatever. It's no big deal for a rookie to struggle in the NHL. It;s a big deal for a 23-year-old to struggle in the A. And if he does, that puts him behind the eight-ball and might cause him to press - and struggle more.
He's at a critical point in his development.
Not just because of where he is, but because there are other wingers in the organization who could leap past him in the depth charts and there are only so many spots to go around.
Notice, for example, there are ZERO Red Wing forward UFAs after this season.