And being an 18 year old rookie in the NHL was not very good for Lafreniere's development.
Wright missed an entire season of development in Junior, and there is definitely still more he can learn there, (although getting him into a different program other than Kingston would be a good idea and likely the reason he doesn't go back to junior) so saying he will only stagnate in the OHL is not a fact, it is pure speculation.
The NHL may be a great move for Wright at 18 for his long-term development, or it might stunt his offensive ceiling. Junior might be a great path to fulfilling his development into an offensive powerhouse, or he might sulk and lose focus.
No one knows which path would ultimately produce the best version of Shane Wright, not even Ron Francis or Wright himself, but we all have our opinions. Truth is, there is no guarantee either way.
I still believe part of the issue with Laf was that the Rangers didn't follow through with the required variety of training Laf still needed if they were going to keep him with the team. Before the draft, everyone was saying "he's going to have to slow the game down to his speed at the NHL level", and to me, in an increasingly faster NHL, that's one of the most worrying statements that can be made about a prospect. It doesn't guarantee failure but it's not a good sign. Especially for a top 5 pick. My Dylan Strome alarm goes off. Super talented, but can't do much at the necessary speed and skating ability. And that's just not something you want to be dealing with at the NHL level. But Laf had to, and he's not that much better a skater or faster today than when he was drafted. Well, he's "improved", but it's not what I think he would require to really unlock his talent. One of his biggest issues was skating and I don't believe they ever put him with a dedicated skating coach for even a summer, let alone the time he needed. I really believe he required Bo Horvat type skating focus. Kakko also frankly. But that could be more a failing on the Rangers part, not understanding what these young players still needed, perhaps making assumptions. I'm not sure this Drury regime has been much better than the previous regime.
And someone mentioned Francis knowing what to do with a young 18 year old. Well, I hope that's true, but few things to consider, it largely depends on the individual anyway. Like Beniers, I don't think he had to even think about it. It was fairly obvious for all. With Wright, not the case. And Francis' generation, just on a character level, is TOTALLY different than Wright's generation. Not that this effects every individual of course, there are all characters to all generations, but certain trends certainly exist. And coddling and sheltering children, whether justified or not, has an effect broadly and on individuals. And it's simply a fact of our broader culture these days, meaning a higher percentage of people who mature later in life, who develop later, emotionally, personality, habits. In my generation, by the time I was in highschool, I was working and didn't even really have a curfew. While starting highschool. And crap was still analog. Ugh, Gen Z. But compared to the generation before me, I'm a lazy do nothing who started late. Now kids still live at home until 30, don't get married until around then, and well, their lives just seem to start a bit later and they spend more of the early part of their life focusing on socializing and social contact and playing as it were, than mapping their lives and constructing or doing. And it's just a trend of the days. Just meaning, Wright might not fit into the mold of a Francis. So if there are parts of Wright's game that would benefit from Jr.s I think it's the job of Francis and coaches to provide him with those things specifically. And if they keep him and do not, that's delinquent on them. "IF", as we don't know how it will play out of course.
Now Laf's issue, also coincided with other issues, established wingers ahead of him and previously drafted top wing prospects (which is one reason I didn't want to draft him, but then Kakkp and Krav have been a mess too), and his issue was mechanical, tangible, Wright's might be more emotional or psychological. And to me, I thought he was bored last year in the OHL. And I chock that up to attitude. Not that he has a "bad" attitude, but at times it seemed like he was just going through the motions, just waiting for the draft. As a character flaw, that's not a great sign, but correctable with time and experience. It also means if you put him in a situation with higher level competition he might be inspired. Now will he maintain that inspiration long term? Well, if that is the reason his OHL play was on the downtrend, then perhaps. But again, he might just as easily learn or just being at the highest levels of competition might be all he needed. So I am definitely in the keep him boat honestly, but that will require very specific, detailed training from the staff and if they omit some necessary things, that could be a problem. All though with Wright, I'm really not sure what part of his game, mechanically or materially would need intense development. So in that sense, I would think, if we want him to learn to be creative, he'd be better off with the most creative players in the world and how to integrate them into tactical, formation hockey. At Wright's stage and talent level, I don't think more time to freewheel would necessarily make him more creative or help with that. I honestly think that trait would be better served in the NHL, or AHL if that were possible. And creativity, I hate to say is often something you have, a way of thinking in general, or you don't. And it's not necessarily something one can control, because it has to do with how your specific brain patterns the world, and that is incredibly difficult to change, especially in adults. But that's ok too. I think he's plenty creative. Maybe he won't be Mario creatively, but that's ok because he will still produce and the rest of his game is still high level enough. It's not like he's creatively disabled.
But yea, I'm in the keep him boat for sure. Berniers will really be taking the focus and for good reason. Maybe seeing how good Beniers is would inspire Wright to work harder too. And it's cray, but I think he could probably learn a lot from Beniers. He's been doing it for haha a couple of years longer but he seems much further ahead. Now I think Seattle has to know this is a developmental year. And I kind of hope they let them play with the higher level talent. I think opportunity has been another thing holding Laf back. He hardly gets any PP time. His 5v5 numbers are actually fairly good last year. And with the Rangers contending last year, I actually think that also hurt their prospect development, except on D. Miller and Schneider certainly held their own and Laf did play very well in the playoffs. But then, so did Chytil and I don't expect him to continue that lol But yea, I think that would be the perfect environment for Wright, Seattle situation is like complete opposite of the Rangers anyway. Not suggesting throwing the season. But realistically, it's a young group. All though, I don't know how much fun outside the lines Hakstol will allow for.
And I do hate the restriction on playing in the AHL. I understand why it exists, but I think it causes an issue in player development where AHL might be exactly what a player does need and going back to Jrs . will just be a waste of a year of development and when they still aren't ready for the NHL. I honestly think sometimes some of these North American prospects, or at least restricted prospects, would sometimes be better off going to play in Europe in like the SHL for a year or whatever. Which I think would at least get them used to a faster game, all be it on bigger ice, but also playing with grown men. And for some prospects, that might really be what they need. I'm sure many will disagree with that. But I really don't see Jr's as being a superior option. And a prospect can get ruined being sent to the NHL too early. I think Othmann is a player in this situation. Wyatt Johnston and Stankoven too I believe. Too good for Jrs., not quite ready for the NHL. Anyway.
