Also, I still stand by my initial observation that he was just fine in the NHL. He was given primarily fourth line duties, and I think he handled them well.
He was 11th in P/60, ahead of guys like Namestnikov, Chytil, and Strome. He'd be 8th in Shots/60. 9th in Takeaways/60. 5th in Hits/60. 15th in iCF/60, right ahead of Buch, ahead of Fast, Howden, Nieves. His CF%Rel sucked but is right in the middle of all the guys he played with, ahead of McLeod, Nieves, Howden, Spooner, right behind Lettieri and Strome, etc. I mean we could go and analyze his stats all day but my point is I don't think he looked at all out of place. I think he could have been left there for a lot longer and done fine. I also think he could have stepped up to the 3C when Howden decided he no longer wanted to contribute anything and he would have done much better in terms of production.
The AHL performance since being sent down is disconcerting, but it's not like he can't handle it. 14 points in 25 games as a teen last year (on a bad team) and 12 in 14 before he was recalled this year. I hope he gets over whatever he's battling.