Your question calls for massive speculation. If you told me Antoine Roussel would have an NHL career five years ago, I'd have laughed in your face.
Look, I'm past done people grousing about Knight and Cassidy and ice time or even taking shots at the "echl" crew. But now *****ing on guys under contract to Boston who've legit looked good and stepped up their game? And hell, I thought Flick sucked when he got here but I'll eat crow now. Someone coached the kid from being a quasi goon with little or no offensive awareness to being a decent defensive grinder that works hard enough to create scoring chances for himself and his line mates. It amazes me how people who don't actually watch the games are willing to look, with all due respect, ignorant, just to get their jabs in and in the process take a shot at a player who deserves credit, not scorn.
Just so you know, the "quasi-goon" had 27g/30a in 68 games his last year in Junior with Mississauga (along with 167 PIM's), so he always had some offensive ability (enough for CHI to draft him in the 4th round anyway).
The primary difference this year has been minutes. Flick has played almost the entire year in the Top 9 and was in the Top 6 for games when there were injuries/call ups. I don't dislike Flick and I give the kid props for making an impression, but even with all that extra time he has just 9g/6a in 40 games. If Knight played Top 6/9 minutes for 40 games (and on special teams), thinking he would have at least that, and likely more, but we will never know sadly.
I have been keeping tabs on Randell since his Kitchener days, and think that he would be a better NHL 4th liner than Flick. Hopefully, he gets that chance.
It would be so interesting if the AHL would just keep track of and publish the TOI stats. I have a feeling it would be a real eye opener for some people.