Fresh off a stellar record-breaking performance at the World Juniors, Zayne Parekh reminded the hockey world what he is capable of. His elite offensive skills were on full display, and every night it seemed like he was the best player on the ice. The Flames have had some trouble navigating how to best handle Parekh’s development, as although he has elite offensive instincts, it is also clear that he needs to put on some weight to protect himself from the physicality of the NHL. Back in November, we visited this same topic of how to handle Parekh’s development; however, after an incredible World Juniors, has that changed the minds of some? We asked, you answered.
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What should the Flames do with Parekh?
We presented the poll below to our readers.
Full-time NHLer
There is no doubt that Parekh has arguably the best offensive instincts on the entire roster. For a team so desperate for offence, Parekh is a saviour for this team. However, the risk in doing this is that he could easily get hurt again from the physicality of the league. Parekh is still just 19 years old, and although he is incredible to watch, he needs to be healthy enough to get enough games in. Despite this, most of our readers believe that he should still be playing NHL games full-time.
Play half, sit half
The Anaheim Ducks did this with Leo Carlsson in his first year in the league. Now, Carlsson has been one of the Ducks’ best players. This might be the best option for Parekh, as on the days he is not playing, he can focus on putting on some weight and getting stronger. The goal of the Flames should be to not only get the best out of Parekh this year but also to set him up for success for his whole career, and this approach might be the best bet if the organization is worried about the physicality of the league.
AHL conditioning stint
In a perfect world, the Flames would be able to send him down from the AHL as they please. However, Parekh is unfortunately too young to be in the AHL this year. The most the Flames could do is send him down for a maximum of 14 days. They would eventually have to bring him back up. Despite this, this could be a great environment for Parekh to take in and develop his game further.
Send back to OHL
If Parekh’s performance at the World Juniors showed us anything, it’s that he is just too good to go back to the OHL. He would dominate for the third year in a row, and although that would be great for his confidence, I truly don’t think that it would serve any purpose for his development. There has to be some challenge for Parekh, and the OHL won’t be any of the sort.
Delicate situation
Parekh is arguably the Flames’ best prospect in about a decade. No matter what approach the Flames decide to implement, they need to be sure that it is the best option for Parekh. His value for the team is simply too high.
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