Full marks to Minten for earning his way into this opportunity when he easily could’ve been returned to a Kamloops team — as was just about everybody’s expectation — that is three games into its WHL season by now. The maturity of his game has been a pleasant surprise and the progression he’s shown suggests he might not need ample AHL seasoning before he’s ready to make the jump to the NHL.
That said, the cold hard reality of the situation is this: The Leafs are team deep that is team up front, is looking to contend, and is very tight on cap and roster space.