The Coaches Room is a regular feature throughout the 2025-26 season by former NHL coaches and assistants who turn their critical gaze to the game and explain it through the lens of a teacher. In this edition, Drew Bannister, former coach of the St. Louis Blues and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, and defenseman with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and New York Rangers, writes about the utilization and handling of young players in the lineup early in the season.

Watching and helping young players grow within the lineup, particularly early in the season, is very situational in terms of where the organization is with plans for the year. I would say the San Jose Sharks are in a rebuild, while the New York Islanders are possibly in a r

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