As we say a lot in "We Win Here", my book with Sean Shapiro about Texas and the AHL, the purpose of the AHL is increasingly to serve the NHL teams. Every passing year it becomes more true. One recent trend that points to that purpose is the rise of two-year AHL contracts for undrafted players coming out of college or the junior ranks.
Texas fans will be most recently familiar with this new trend with goalie Matt Murray. The UMass-Amherst product signed an ATO with Texas at the end of 2021-22 and then converted that to a two-year deal, which was announced over the summer despite likely being signed at the time of his ATO.