I'm not going to argue with you too vociferously on this but bear with me: the Jets are in no danger of missing the playoffs. The Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal. To that end, the rest of the regular season should be fine tuning the Jets game to achieve that goal.
I think the one thing the team loves about Bones is the structure, a clear identity, and using players in roles that play to their strengths.
Having 8 out there in prevent situations plays to his strengths. He, like everyone else has room to improve. So, you put him in this situations and then coach and correct. You can be sure he'll look through the game tape with an assistant coach and identify things to work on.
Playoff success isn't just about talent. It's about roster balance, energy conservation, and adoption of system.
Sure, but you also want to have Cole out in key situations as well to develop those aspects of his game, especially as a rookie. With 5 minutes left I don't believe teams should be bunkering but instead should still be trying to force the issue. With 2 minutes left sure, bunker as the other team likely pulls the goalie.