While it's easy and tempting to look at the team and see how we should be placing more long-term valuable assets in key positions as a matter of their perceived value (L Brown, White etc.), the bottom line is the coach is creating a culture where the best players play. It really does do long-term damage to let the players get ice time because of their contract (White) or draft position (L Brown). The rest of the team is watching, and it allows players to sit on their laurels.
That said, it doesn't mean these players won't come around, and this is especially true of the short-training camp and lack of exhibition games. It's also reasonable not to over-react to these guys not performing at their best during a key scrimmage or two. Some times the puck bounces funny for guys in a short window and a bad game or two has less to do with overall potential of the player, as just the ebb and flow of how guys play over time. If L Brown and Colin White are two of our best centers long-term, their play will inevitably demonstrate that. In the mean time, the culture of a winner is being reinforced.