We’re getting close to decision time for a lot of top teenage players still in the NHL. The 10-game mark is when teams have to decide to keep them on the big club or re-assign them elsewhere. It's often discussed as a critical decision point for when a player’s NHL entry level contract begins, and assigning under-20 players to junior before they play that 10th game can be wise long-term asset management. Here are the decisions I’d make for these players if I were in management’s position.
You’ll notice not every teenager is mentioned here. That’s because while the 10 game limit applies to all players, for players drafted out of major junior it is a much more binary decision due to the CHL-AHL agreement since assigned junior players can’t be recalled except for short-term emergencies.