The AHL's Lake Erie Monsters are one win away from a Calder Cup championship, and the hope is it means big things for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the not-too-distant future.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen assigned a slew of young players to the minor-league affiliate at the end of a disappointing season for the parent club, and it's played out as well as he could have hoped.
"When we sent our guys back down at the end of the season, this is what we were hoping for," Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. "What you're seeing now, is the best-case scenario. We hoped they'd go deep and have a great experience."
What's most encouraging is that it is indeed the prospects leading the way, meaning a wave of young talent - a group includes of Oliver Bjorkstrand, Zach Werenski, Sonny Milano, Kerby Rychel, and Anton Forsberg, among others - is nearing shore.
The AHL team is drawing comparisons to the 2013 Syracuse Crunch, a championship club made up of many players who contributed to the Tampa Bay Lightning's recent string of success.
"In 2013, we lost to Syracuse in the second round, and you could just tell there was something different about that team," Kekalainen said. "Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat ... those guys were a notch above everybody else and they were ready to be part of the NHL."
Success at the AHL level guarantees nothing, of course, but a monster effort from even a couple of these prospects could make a big difference.
Finding room on a roster in need of a few salary dumps may be an issue, but the GM doesn't appear to be sweating that.
"It might take a little while, but we'll make it happen. If somebody deserves to play in the NHL, they're going to make it."
