In Leo Carlsson's rookie campaign, the Anaheim Ducks didn't play him in every contest, instead giving him some games off to adjust to the grind of the 82-game NHL schedule. He ended up playing 55 games that season, although he was injured for nearly a month as well.
Now, Carlsson has 26 points in 16 games. He's on fire. And Drew Shore, Michael Traikos and Ryan Kennedy discussed how the Ducks handled him in his rookie season in Wednesday's episode of The Hockey News Big Show.
The San Jose Sharks appear to have been taking the same approach with Michael Misa (who's now injured) and to a lesser extent, Sam Dickinson. Then there's Harrison Brunicke, who's been a healthy scratch after playing nine games, which leaves the possibility of taking a conditioning stint in the AHL before either bringing him back up to the NHL or sending him to the CHL.
Do you see reducing a rookie's workload in the NHL as a better option than sending them to the CHL? Let us know right here in The Hockey News Community. And make your own forum post about any hockey topic by going to the homepage and clicking "create post."