I don't think it's a Chiarelli issue exactly. McLellan wants to put together the best roster to win, and perhaps that job can't exist apart from looking at the salaries. If he can "get Lucic going" then his job becomes much, much easier, assuming that if Lucic is buried in the lineup or a healthy scratch for an extended period, that this will just hurt his stats further, damage his confidence further, and even put in some seeds of resentment. I know this idea is angering to many fans, but the fact is that we can't afford a buyout on him, and that with his NMC and poor play he is virtually untradeable. So this is the hand that Tmac has been dealt, and he's trying to make the most of it.
Personally, I don't think it's a bad thought. There are a lot of fans who put too much stock in "logic". Logic said that the Golden Knights couldn't possibly be a good team. You can make logic prove anything that is convenient to your opinion. Logic says that Lucic is regressing permanently and that the NHL is changing to move away from guys like Lucic. I'm not so sure that either is true.
At the very least, with our season lost, we can try to see what we have in Lucic. It's kind of the same logic as giving ice time to prospects now. If Lucic does get a bit of a breakthrough with McDavid, that would be an amazing gift to this team's future.