It felt kind of cruel, asking the players most impacted by the trend — and fighting for their jobs — how they felt about it.
Of course, they disagreed with it, this continued push by the NHL to get younger and younger. How could they not?
But they all know it's there. They can see it in all the ice time and opportunity the kids with the Toronto Maple Leafs are getting. And they remember how different it was when they entered the league, in the early days of the salary cap.
Ahead of Dominic Moore, Eric Fehr and Colin Greening (among others) on Mike Babcock's depth chart are six players 25 and under, including star sophomores Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner.
Mirtle: Is the NHL's shift away from veterans to the kids a good thing?
