Long time NHL executive and Stanley Cup winning GM, Neil Smith has joined TSM as a guest blogger. Neil will be providing analysis you can’t find elsewhere, bringing you perspective from the GM’s world. Welcome aboard Neil!!
Neil Smith
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Welcome Neil,what are your thoughts on keeping Shenn up with the Leafs,instead of junior?
He seems to be improving quite quickly since opening night when I thought he seemed tentative. It is a difficult decision for the GM to make whether to keep a young kid up or send him back to Jr. for more seasoning. I don’t think it has ever hurt a player to be sent back to Junior for another season or two. On the other hand there are many examples of kids rushed into the NHL by teams only to stumble and not reach their potential later in their career. I lean towards biting the bullet and sending the kids back rather than taking a chance of hurting their development by putting too much pressure on them too early.