Rick Stevens

And he said, and this translated quote, we'll discuss the situation when his season is over.

It will be up to him to determine if he's ready, that's ready to make the jump, or if he prefers to continue his studies and feels that he needs another one more season to

at the college level, Hughes went on to say, we don't want to be a distraction.

We prefer that he remains in the present moment.

I can't imagine that Michael Hage wouldn't want to make that jump to the pros, but it's not something they want him thinking about now while he still has a season to complete.

It was really fascinating in how emphatic Kent Hughes was.

Because, again, for the first half of the season, there's been no shortage of fans proposing trades to bring in a second-line center to replace Oliver Kapanen, to trade out Oliver Kapanen.

And all he's done amidst all of that doubt is,

has been to perform.

And he has been not just a placeholder for the Second Line Center, but now people are starting to see him as the future Second Line Center on this team.

And when asked...

If Kapanen could be a long-term solution to centering the second line, Hughes said yes, without a doubt.

He was very clear how he felt, how the organization felt.

About the future of Oliver Kapanen.

And it isn't just...

He isn't relying on Demidov.

No.

He's making Demidov better, and Demidov's making him better.

The same goes for Slavkovsky.

Those three have really gelled and are feeding off each other, and they've been a very effective second line.