You're right though, extremely small sample size considering the fact that Clifford is getting worse as a player while Brodzinski has room for improvement, and has been improving. His offensive skillset blows Clifford's out of the water.
Regardless, we both agree they shouldn't have changed the lines.
Clifford's offensive stats have actually been relatively consistent throughout the years while his advanced stats have trended up reflective of his growth as a player in his role.
I wouldn't at all disagree that Brodzinski has a better (potential) offensive skillset but it's absolutely debatable who is the better player in that role. I also agree that Brodzinski is trending up, but there's literally nothing to suggest Clifford is trending down except bias. If the playoffs started tomorrow, I would have Clifford on the 4th line before Brodzinski without blinking twice (though I'd keep Brodz in and bench Mitchell).
It was stupid to make roster changes in the midst of a streak and we'll agree on that, but Clifford bashing as a meme around here, especially given the tongue-in-cheek nature of the original post, is a fallacy. No one that bashes him can bring in fact and that should tell you something.
