That's fine but it doesn't explain why Yandle, Skjei, Smith, and Buchnevich kept finding the bench, while wastes like Glass and Girardi got chance after chance.
AV is very strange and it often can't be explained away by the quality of the player.
IMO it's two things: (perceived) defensive acumen and attention (though not always backed up by execution, obviously), and reputation/experience/maturity. If Andersson sticks, for example, I can see him getting a Fast-like leash rather than a Buch-like leash, because a) his defense appears to be that good and b) there is no obvious vet to give the benefit of the doubt ahead of him on the depth chart (at the moment).
So, it's not that AV won't give kids a shot (I mean look at Fast, Lindberg, and Skjei), it's that he has little patience for errors of either commission or omission, and if they happen repeatedly, he will then go back to the vet who he can at least trust to know what to do (even if he doesn't do it).
My main problem with him was that last year he was sticking with those vets who knew what to do, but were unable to do it too long. (I also wonder how much of this - on defense anyway - was a result of his defensive coach relying too much on the names on the back of the jerseys.)
The good thing this year - so far - is that the organization as a whole appears more committed to youth.