Not to be a downer, but there is a lot of truth to this.

I don't love the trend with KK.

When you rush guys there is always the risk of stunting their development. He was phenomenal defensively in year one.

It's a cautionary tale about not rushing 18 y/o players. https://twitter.com/Sz1909_Szemberg/status/1388674665854418952

Szymon's points are excellent. There are some steps which cannot be skipped for young hockey players. This should be Kotkaniemi's rookie year. He should have stayed for 2 extra seasons in Finland, and played in the 2018-2019 WJCs. He would be a totally different person/player.

It's not because a player can get by and even do decently well in the NHL that they should be there. Sometimes their potential is much greater than that and skills are better developed at lower levels.

Suzuki could have played in the NHL in 2018-2019, but it was better than he didn't. Romanov is another guy who IMO should have been with the Laval Rocket this year. He's not playing like he should based on his assets.

It's not even about physical maturity. Caufield has no issue there and he's still tiny. It's about emotional resilience and that comes with age and success. 18-20 is a time of tremendous personal growth. I still think KK will be fine, but the Habs are playing with fire.