Report: The Calgary Flames investigate whether to send Zayne Parekh back to the OHL – The Win Column

The Calgary Flames have reached a decision point with defenseman Zayne Parekh. The former first-round pick has played nine NHL games so far this season. One more and he’ll burn out the first year of his entry-level contract. With the poor start the team has had this year, Eric Francis has reported that the team is exploring what to do with him, with the option of sending him back to the OHL being on the table. He won’t dress tonight against the Nashville Predators.

What does this mean for the Calgary Flames?

While Francis notes that this is unlikely, the fact that this is a question is baffling. Parekh is third in the team in expected goals, well ahead of many of their regular defenders, and although he has played fewer minutes, he has generally looked better in the games he has played more.

After breaking multiple OHL records, it’s clear that Parekh is far too good for the OHL and sending him back would do little for his development. Without the option to send him to the AHL, the Flames basically have to keep him in the NHL or send him back to Saginaw. They can’t send him to the NCAA because he’s already under contract, and moving him to a European club mid-season is much harder on him and likely won’t be beneficial to his development.

The Flames need to keep him in the NHL and continue to run him in the big club. The team basically needs to win two out of three games to make the playoffs, which seems like a tall order given their start. Better to just let the season play out, let Parekh get good NHL reps, let him build chemistry with his teammates in the great culture the team prides itself on, and let him grow.

He will make mistakes, as both he and everyone else on the team have done this year. But that’s what you want from your young star in the making. Let him play in tough games, play him against better players and let him develop into the star defender he will become. There’s no point in protecting him forever. If you do that, it will never grow.

The fact that his return to the OHL is even a conversation, just like his away game today against the Nashville Predators, is ridiculous. This team keeps making bizarre decisions about their young players, and it’s time someone righted the ship.

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