Alright Jacket's fans.. type slow and explain it to me...
It is November 15th. David Jiricek is healthy and has played 5 games for roughly 60 minutes of TOI. How is this helping him develop into an NHL dman?
Possible rational explanations:
- 6OA pick from 2 years ago who has 1RD upside. Some teams just want to take their time to figure out the proper development plan for that type of prospects, especially when it's early in the season and the new GM doesn't know the player that well yet who doesn't appear to be NHL-ready.
- He doesn't play a lot in the NHL because of the lack of strength, skating flaws, and occasional poor reads he keeps doing. He gets to spend more time in the gym, practices and video meetings with development/defensive coaches.
- He doesn't play in the AHL because the D coach Haviland he's worked with in previous years is now an assistant in Columbus. It's probably best for them to have a close connection so they can meet and watch video daily until they're confident Jiricek is able to learn the things he needs to learn without CBJ coaches' and Haviland's direct assistance.
Earlier this week Waddell told that they're talking and deciding soon "what's best for Jiricek right now", and added that playing so few games and minutes isn't ideal.
I think he will get to play more in the next X amount of games or remainder of the season, whether it's NHL or/and AHL.