I thought Pitkanen was alright until they asked too much of him in the NHL.
- PhillySportsGuy
Pitkanen, Richards, Carter... all had obvious maturity issues. The AHL allows for a lot more coaching, practice and one-on-one tutelage -- games usually only being on weekends and all.
Coaches just can't afford to devote that kind of hands-on guidance to single players at the next level -- guys are mostly just trusted to know how to handle themselves and prepare.
Edit: it's kind of like how colleges want 1st and 2nd year students staying on-campus, getting nannied by RA's and advisors while they taste autonomy for the first time. A few kids might not need it, but most probably do.