And though I'd love to NOT wade into the BB thing, it seems to be a pervasive issue with coaches and their favourites.
It should be noted by coaches that when a team is playing badly one young, mistake prone player is NOT responsible for the team's play and should NOT be made an example of. If you want to make an example of someone, you take a team leader who is not living up to their standards. No-one on the team is looking to Beau and saying "well if he's being lazy I'M going to be lazy", NO-ONE. If you are punishing a young player, there has to be a lesson and a chance for a quick redemption, otherwise you're breeding a lack of confidence and second guessing on their part.
Fine, Beau isn't playing up to a top 6 standard because he's being too passive. How about putting him back down with Sutter who is also struggling and letting them get their confidence back? Give them a mission to win every puck battle they can and prove they're better than 3rd liners. Give them their ice time against lesser competition so that they can get into better habits with less pressure. (Not to mention, how about giving Kunitz a shake down about being lazy, flubbing passes left and right and being less physical than BB?) Fine, scratch them for one game, but you better have a purpose for it, and you can't let them dwell on it before getting another opportunity.
I just don't understand what HCMJ is trying to achieve here. It was the same with Despres the last few years. He plays dominant hockey in a lesser role, finally gets a chance on a higher line and plays well. Then a few games later he and the whole team have a bad game and he gets punished and scratched while no-one else is? How does that make sense? Is the team looking to Despres and Beau for guidance? Are they the guys steering the team's conscience?
Young guys need a consistent message, to know that they are trusted and that they have some leeway to make up for their mistakes before they are punished and ICE TIME TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN. Playing BB for 7 minutes in a role he can't possibly achieve anything in is not going to get his confidence back, is not going to help the team and doesn't prove anything to the team except that the coach has favourites and is willing to haze young players for being in slumps while the team is also in a slump.
It just doesn't make any sense.