I've seen this comment a handful of times, and I get it. The stats look pedestrian. But Necas wasn't sent to the AHL because he wasn't getting points. He was sent down to work on his play away from the puck. From all accounts, he took the message to heart and has worked on what they wanted him to work on. The biggest thing for coaches isn't production, it's to know a player can be trusted not to give up a goal every time he's on the ice. It's why Foegele hasn't gone down despite his offensive struggles. He may not be scoring, but he's not giving anything up, either. Coaches can live with that. They can't live with the opposite.
And also, while we're here, Necas's numbers in the AHL for a just-turned-20-in-January-year-old are pretty darn good. Scoring at a 0.7 ppg pace in the AHL is nothing to sneeze at. For comparison, Filip Zadina and Necas have both played 40 games, Zadina has 11g, 12a, 23pts, minus-14, while Necas has 9g, 19a, 28pts, plus-13.
If we don't get a center by the deadline, I hope we get another look at Necas before the season is over.