Agree with you that Turcotte might see a few NHL games so he gets a taste, but he needs time at the pro level to develop. AHL is just fine for him next year.
This sentence was interesting:
Maybe I'm reading the sentence wrong, but do you expect Byfield or Stutzle to enter the line-up next year? I think Byfield will stay in the OHL one more year. Stutzle, like Turcotte, might get a sniff but I doubt the club will rush him considering he's coming from the big ice in Europe.
- Only_A_Ladd
Stutzle is ineligible to play in the NHL next season. He'll be under contract with Alder Mannheim of the DEL, and players under European contracts won't be allowed to participate in the 2020-21 season.
Turcotte depends on whether the AHL starts on time. Apparently they're in talks to start in December, but it's quite possible that they don't considering they're heavily dependent on ticket sales to cover operating expenses. Not all of the teams are owned by NHL franchises, and many of them won't be able to afford to put on games if fans aren't allowed in the building.
If the AHL starts at the same time as the NHL, then I think Turcotte starts the season in Ontario. He might get his 9-game look after the trade deadline next year, but I don't think they'll burn a year of his ELC during a year that no one expects them to make the playoffs.
The only players that I think might get more than a handful of games this year that weren't on this year's end-of-season roster are Grundstrom, Clague, JAD, and Kupari. Everyone else will spend the season in Ontario or their junior/European clubs.
