Lecavalier is hurt and I appreciate your suggestion of sending Coturier down and making Schenn the 3C. Actually made me laugh on a pretty sad night. Lets just dump our best defensive forward and PKer to the AHL because he can't produce offense. Never mind that his line scored the only goal and he had a strong game forechecking.
A bad run of games really brings out the crazies.
Couturier hasn't done anything this season short of the one shift to secure the victory against Florida. His PKing isn't anything we don't get from our other PKers, and he is playing ridiculously afraid whenever the puck is anywhere near his stick.
I don't know what Couturier you have been watching, but the one I've seen (this season) is a decent defensive player, but one who is totally lost in the offensive zone. I don't care if he doesn't put up
any points; it's the lack of composure with the puck and the reluctance to use his physical abilities to keep possession.
His line scored the only goal on a broken wrap around (by Couturier) and a lucky deflection off a skate. I've been a massive defender of Couturier for the last two seasons, but what we've seen from him in the last five games is not worth defending. He is tentative and scared. He needs confidence. Maybe that's residual damage from Laviolette. I don't know. But I say stamp it out with a stint in the AHL to light a fire under his ass.
His presence isn't vital to the team's success (given that there hasn't been any), so if ever there was a time to try to fire up a young player, now would be it.
EDIT: I really don't get where people are getting the idea that Couturier's been good. He's been just awful thus far.