I think this is more a reflection of how well the bottom 6 are playing together. Let’s face it, that Brown-Carter-Parros line is damn near untouchable, in terms of moving people around, and Nokelainen-Marchant-Artyukhin are showing signs of life. That left no place for Christensen. I liked the way he looked with Selanne and Koivu, but he was just extra weight. A lot like Calder who was sent packing at the end of training camp…wait.

I think it’s good to reward the improved play that we’ve seen. I think at some point the healthy scratch becomes more of a hindrance than an effective coaching tool. I think it instills paranoia into the guys who are playing and they might start grabbing the sticks a little too hard. I think a little job security goes a long way in establishing chemistry on the ice. I’m not saying the healthy scratch hasn’t been effective, I’m just saying that coach’s often have to deal with their techniques going stagnant. If anything, Carlyle switching it up and trying a new form of motivation might pay stronger dividends in the long run.