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However, logic dictates there may not be room for them in The Show next season.

Even if Anton Rodin and Jayson Megna are one-and-done rolls of the contract dice, the 19-year-old Brock Boeser is expected to transition to the NHL next fall. He was a unanimous choice as the best NCAA pro prospect and should ease in by replacing Alex Burrows.

Factor in Jannik Hansen staying true to his word and not waiving his modified no-trade clause, and the club being tied to Loui Eriksson’s long-term deal, where does the 20-year-old Virtanen fit in as a top-nine forward on the right side?

Unless the NTC winds shift, or there’s a youth-movement commitment with the expansion draft protection list and Hansen is exposed and claimed, Virtanen must earn a job in the NHL. And that’s exactly how this process should have played out from the outset. It should have always been about merit and not marketing a local first-round draft choice.

Virtanen was a lightning-rod for criticism with his inconsistency and just one assist in 10 NHL games this season.

He reported to camp overweight, didn’t move the bloated body-fat meter much and then openly wondered why he was on the fourth line. Getting his body and mind in sync is an ongoing process, but Comets coach Travis Green believes the big winger is finally headed in the right direction, despite just seven points (4-3) in his first 24 AHL games after being dispatched to the minors in November.

Photo by Arlen Redekop / PNG

“He has come here with a good attitude,” said Green. “Sometimes, when players come down, it’s hard to get them into a mindset, but that hasn’t been the case since Day 1 with Jake. He has put in the work because when he first got here, playing 15 minutes was hard and he’s handling them well now.