Daniil But Has Been Sent Down to Tucson. Here's Why It's the Right Move

If you thought the Utah Mammoth’s Halloween was going to be a quiet one, think again. To kick off the last day of October, the team elected to send down one of their top prospects, Daniil But, to the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League.

In 13 games with the Mammoth this season, But had four points, including two goals. He earned an opening night spot in the lineup for a reason; he worked hard for it and had a great preseason. However, recently he had been rotating in and out of the lineup with Liam O’Brien. 

This will be But’s second season with the Roadrunners after spending parts of last season with the team, where he produced 39 points in 41 games, including 19 goals.

You may be wondering why the Mammoth would send down one of their best forward prospects in a season when his European Assignment Clause kicks in. Well, if you know general manager Bill Armstrong, he doesn’t do anything without a good reason.

What we’re all expecting is that Michael Carcone is ready to be activated off injured reserve for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. He’s recently been practicing in a full-contact jersey, so if he does pop into the lineup against the Flyers on the fourth line, replacing But, it wouldn’t be surprising. 

A reminder that the Mammoth can only have 23 players on their active roster. With the activation of Carcone, that means they would have 24 if they kept But.

So why send But down and not anyone else? There’s a saying that you shouldn’t have roadblocks on your NHL team keeping prospects away from the big leagues. Roadblocks are players who don’t add as much to the team as another player does. When you look up and down the Mammoth’s lineup, arguably everyone deserves to be on it.

Kailer Yamamoto would’ve maybe been subbed out if we were still at the beginning of the season, a move that was made that arguably wasn’t a great one considering he led the team in points during the playoffs and his terrific season thus far. He’s got seven points in nine games and has been better than a lot of the bottom six players, including Carcone.

Speaking of Carcone, he had been playing really solid prior to his injury as well. Two points in five games is not too shabby, and you also have to factor in everything else he brings to the lineup: solid two-way play and hard work. Is he more skilled than But? Likely no, but he has been playing better than the rookie leading up to his injury in an earlier game this month against the Boston Bruins.

Then you get to Liam O’Brien, who, yes, shouldn’t be in the everyday lineup over But. O’Brien is not an everyday player, though. He’s a hard-hitting specialist who is typically thrown into games that the Mammoth expect to be extremely physical.

When you put that together, Carcone will likely be in the lineup, replacing But on the fourth line on Sunday, with O’Brien being the extra forward in the press box. Why shouldn’t But be in the press box and O’Brien be on his way to the Roadrunners? The answer is simple.

There’s another part to this whole equation of sending But down. Why would you want your top prospects sitting in the press box rather than playing top-line minutes elsewhere? It doesn’t help them, and it’s a role that a veteran can be playing instead.

You can ask any player who has played in the AHL in the Mammoth organization. After every stint they have with the Roadrunners, they often come back to the NHL better, and they will admit that time in the AHL helped them. Josh Doan, Michael Kesselring, Dylan Guenther, and Dmitri Simashev are all recent examples. 

This trip to Tucson might benefit But even more than expected. He’s already been placed on the top line with Tij Iginla and Caleb Desnoyers. That is a trio of players expected to be cornerstones of the Mammoth one day. If they can all gain chemistry now and grow more because of this opportunity, that’s a big success for this organization. Not to mention, it’s going to be a fun line to watch.

With the Roadrunners, But will get top ice time, top power-play minutes, and opportunities he won’t get from sitting in the press box or even playing fourth-line minutes with the Mammoth. While he might be mad or disappointed that he is down in the AHL, using that emotion to help improve his game is something the Mammoth and the Roadrunners want to see.

“I don't want him to come down and really respect the game and respect where he's at,” Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin said. “That's a hard thing to do. I think when you come from the NHL, you might not be happy to be here, and there might be a little bit of resentment in your heart and in your mind. Frankly, he hasn't gone through what all the rest of the guys on our team have gone through, and the things that we've been talking about- scenarios that we've been able to absorb, reflect, and refine, and be able to advance and learn- it's hard for a player. We want him to be here. Where his feet can play a direct style of game and just bring the winning habits.”

But does have the European Assignment Clause in his contract that will kick in at some point during this season. Whether he triggers that clause is up to him. However, whether he’ll be in Tucson or not will also be up to him. If he plays hard enough and produces as he did in the AHL last season, if not better, it will be hard to say he doesn’t deserve a spot in the NHL lineup above someone else. A reminder that he was a dominating factor for the team every time he was on the ice last season.

It seems like But wants to stay in North America. With the Roadrunners, he’ll be given every single tool needed in order to succeed. That includes having Iginla and Desnoyers as linemates, an upgrade from some of the linemates But was surrounded by last season.

But was sent down for a reason. There are things to work on in his game. However, this could be his final AHL demotion ever if he can come back better than ever, which he has after every single stint with the Roadrunners. The Mammoth organization has challenged him. Yet, early on, it seems like he’s ready and excited to take it on head-on.

“When things are hard, everybody talks about how hard it is, and you have to go through the hard, and you have to be in those dark spaces to be able to learn,” Potvin said. “Of course, I believe that's true. But sometimes it may not be as hard as we think. Maybe sometimes we're just being sensitive. If you make the right decisions on how you're going to respond and deal with it, you can really benefit from it. Booter's been a strong player, had a strong mindset with us last season. I called him. First thing he said was, ‘My head's in a good spot, coach. I'm ready.’”

The red-hot Roadrunners will play next on Friday as they welcome the Coachella Valley Firebirds to Tucson. They are currently on a four-game winning streak and are riding a nine-game point streak. Meanwhile, the Mammoth will next play on Sunday as they take on the Flyers.