Justin Bourne of the ECHL Idaho Steelheads and the Hockey News has this to say about cracking NHL lineups:

"Established, contracted players have a massive leg-up. Not only do they have to go into camp and lose their jobs – which is only 5,000 times harder to do than winning one – but they have almost no stress. They can take a couple chances with the puck, relax without it and generally be more effective players. Combine that with the fact they probably are more effective players to begin with (since they’ve earned contracts) and sometimes the divide between those trying out for a team and those already on it can be painful to watch (or, cough, experience)."