Here's the thing with Mesar in the AHL.
If he plays on a PTO, he can't get recalled to the NHL. And honestly, at 18 or even 19 years old, I don't think he'll be ready for the NHL.
What the PTO allows is to slide the beginning of the ELC to the following season, for two more seasons. After that, he'll be burning the first year of his ELC. If you put him in Laval during his ELC, then you're burning the years on his contract.
My opinion for Mesar? Get him to play in the OHL next season, re-evaluate next summer.
The jump from the Slovkian league to the OHL is huge.