He's spent a shift or two with the top 6 fairly often over the past couple years. The reason you don't remember it is because he doesn't create any chances or finish off any plays. He's got to show flashes at some point. Besides, if he's a true top 6er he would show flashes and production from the third line. Hossa started on our third line and produces and moved up. Havlat started on our third line and produced and moved up.
You would see many flashes by now, but we don't.
But it's unfair to compare him to Hossa or Havlat. As you said, he's not the type of player who can create his own goals; we know that by now. (Also, even on the third line young Hossa or Havlat were still paired with guys like Bonk, Fisher or Arvedson who could create room for them. Man, we were so STACKED back then). And so as long as he is paired with people who can't create for him he'll have trouble scoring. Before we give up on him we need to give him a chance with more creative players.
Now for comparison see what happened to Smith once he got paired with Pageau and Stone.
Same idea: we've also had creative players in the last few years who we also buried in the 3rd or 4th line with people who couldn't finish what they created (I don't want to name them and be called nostalgic or derail the conversation), and we gave up on them too.
We see stuff like that all the time. Dude is going nowhere on one team, gets moved and suddenly find chemistry on another team that finds a good pairing for him. Before I give up on a player, or definitely consider him a 4th line player despite his pedigree in the AHL or juniors as a scorer, I'd like to at least give the dude a proper chance.