The age old debate on when a player should bolt for the pro contract rears it's ugly head once again. Kyle Turris who left Wisconsin after 1 season in Madison has been sent down to the AHL to get more playing time.After being drafted 3rd overall by the Wayne Gretzky and the Phoenix Coyotes, Turris led the Badgers in scoring as a freshman by recording 35 points in 36 games. Turris took little time by signing with the Coyotes mere days after the Badgers lost to North Dakota in the NCAA tournament.
This season Kyle has put up a mere six goals and 10 assists in 50 games this season. He has not registered a point in his last 6 games and was a healthy scratch the past two games the Coyotes have played. I think the writing was on the wall when Kyle was a healthy scratch in front of his home fans in Canada earlier this season.
I really can't blame Turris for making the decision to sign. A lot of people are going to pile on him and his advisors for making the decision to go. Any simple minded person can look back on things after they have already happened and second guess the decision. When you have the Wayne Gretzky, Wayne freaking Gretzky calling you saying, "Hey Kyle, why don't you come and play for me in Phoenix?" You are probably going to listen to him. If you think this decision was solely based on Kyle wanting to leave, then you are mistaken. It takes two to tango, and Gretzky and the Phoenix staff have to take every bit of the blame in the decision to pull him out after only one season. Obviously they should have let him stay at Wisconsin for another season, but bickering about it now gets us no where. Let's just hope NHL teams in the future will let players stay and develop in the college system.
(Thanks to TODDFASTBALL for the heads up)
(Photo credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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